Young Innovators Interview

Could you tell us a bit about yourself, your background and experience with the European Youth Card before you joined Mobility in the Mind (MiM)?

I am Tytus from Poland, and I live in a small town Ustron. I finished philosophy at the University of Silesia and I founded my business, which is still running, before finishing my degree. As an active person, I was looking for tools that would help me to find or set up my job. The European Youth Card (EYC) was an important tool to me at that time, from the beginning. Through the EYC I received discounts and I was provided with an insurance –this is a card-service offered in Poland- which made much easier my everyday life since I had to travel a lot, and I am still doing it. I cannot imagine working without this card, I can use it almost anywhere!

 

How did you hear about MiM and why did you decide to participate?

-      I want that everyone who has the European Youth Card can log on to the web-based platform (something like Facebook). The advantage of this platform is that each user is real and not fictitious - everyone is verified, and it guarantees safety on the Web. On this platform, we can collect friends, lead the conversation, or even have discussion forums. There also each can add ads, job information etc. With this platform, we can organize holidays, events and other actions. This platform we can relased depending on the current needs of users.

What do you want to achieve by participating in this programme?

-      Try to realize my idea. By the way, capturing the experience, meet interesting people, to practice my English ...

At the MiM Symposium in March all Young Innovators had the chance to meet each other and hear insights from other young entrepreneurs, representatives of a major company and European institutions. How was the meeting for you and what did you take with you?

-      Symposium in March, in Portugal was for me a great experience! My expectations have been met, because I met people from all over Europe. Meeting and talking with them was a great inspiration for me and I learned from them a lot. The lectures were very inspiring - as much that I wanted to get up and go to work! The organization was very good - good food, comfortable accommodation, a beautiful city and very nice people! Symposium in Lisbon, I will recalled with great pleasure! Ideas which have other participants were very interesting, therefore even more I thing we have to create an Internet platform for the European Youth Card holders - that each of these ideas can be there to present to thousands of card holders!

Do you have any suggestions or ideas of new ways in which the European Youth Card can support youth employment and entrepreneurship?

-      The European Youth Card should be a tool for employees but also for employers! The work is dependent on the employer. Today it is hard to find good employees because the job market is local! With an international base (with a platform of EURO26) the employer can find the right employee at any place in Europe and in the world. Search engine Google is the largest search engine the world! But what is search for employees? ... it can be a platform for EURO26! There are people real and true - the employer will not be afraid to work with a person having an account there!

 New routes to employment for young people in Europe: Young Innovators take forward EYCA’s Mobility in the Mind

The Mobility in the Mind project aims to support young people to co-create opportunities for employment for themselves and their peers in Europe. Co-funded by the European Union and implemented by Young Innovators with the support of five EYCA member organisations, the project was launched through a Symposium in Lisbon in March, followed by a regional seminar in Belgrade from May 15 to 17. Four more regional seminars will take place in September and October.

The Lisbon Symposium brought together 40 participants, including Young Innovators from 5 European countries, policy makers, business representatives, and EYCA member organisations. Building on the results of the Symposium, the regional seminar in Belgrade saw Europski Omladisnki Centar, the EYCA member organisation in Serbia, support 10 Young Innovators to develop their business ideas through two intensive days of training and knowledge sharing from some of the best experts in the country.

The aim of the seminar was to equip Young Innovators with new skills and tools to develop their ideas into successful social enterprise initiatives. Young Innovators received feedback and advice from Pavle Krivokuća, business expert from Impact Hub Belgrade, and got to hear directly from a successful Serbian entrepreneur, Sonja Dakić, about the practice of developing a social enterprise, with its opportunities and everyday challenges. The seminar introduced the Young Innovators to business model development techniques, in particular the Lean Model Canvas and how to use it to take their ideas forward. In addition, the seminar featured a training section on fundraising and pitching ideas to investors.

Similar seminars will be organised by four other EYCA member organisations in September and October focusing on four additional sectors:  green initiatives, tourism and hospitality, communications & digital technology, and cultural industries.

For more information about Mobility in the Mind, please click here.