The implementation of the RAISE Youth project started in September 2018 and the planned end of the project activities is September 2023.
Partners from 4 European countries, Bulgaria, Croatia, Romania and Spain gathered together with a single goal – to contribute to providing decent and productive work for youth through social innovation in rural areas. For the past 4 years RAISE Youth project has been piloting and promoting an innovative RAISE Model of (self) employment, for youth NEETs based on sustainable agri-business in 4 rural regions of EU with high unemployment rates and depopulation.
The RAISE Youth project Annual Event took place on December 9th 2022 in the city of Gospić, Croatia. RAISE Youth project coordinator, Mary Ann Rukavina Cipetić presented the project activities and results achieved in 2022 and introduced the plans for 2023.
Ms. Rukavina Cipetić pointed out that, by December 2022, RAISE Youth project had more than 3000 beneficiaries from the target group. Number of NEETs enrolled in education and training, including work-based learning reached 2500 while more than 500 NEETs are enrolled in apprenticeships and/or mobility schemes. Out of the target group enrolled in the project activities from the start, more than 250 got (self)employed and the number of those who are process of starting their own business is 120.
In 2023 the emphasis of the RAISE Youth project activities will be on the sustainability in order to create the framework for the ongoing support for target new NEETs and support for former NEETs by setting up structures and models prepared earlier in the project implementation. By establishing of social enterprises, clusters, network memberships, crowdsourcing mechanisms project will provide NEETS involved in the project concrete good practices and encouragement for the future.
