"""Create for Region"" was running as a student business project competition from 2014 to 2016. The project showed its ability of promoting youth entrepreneurship and gained widespread public recognition and awards in Latvia and in Europe by European Commission. At the same time the project revealed a number of alarming facts – low interest of young people in developing business in the regions and the fact that the majority of young people abandoned the desire to implement their business ideas once they faced their first difficulties. Therefore from 2017 to 2019 project was organized again in order to additionally research youngsters in Latvia and Lithuania with following goals:To identify what kind of youngsters in Latvia and Lithuania are starting businesses in regions and why.What resources they have and what are they goals.What are young people’s approach to variety of problems and overcoming obstacles in the implementation of their business projects.Whether competition as a motivational process for entrepreneurship helps youngsters to realize their business projects in regions and helps attract young entrepreneurs to regions. In order to achieve those goals following tasks were done:From March 2017 to November 2018 was organized youth business project competition “Create for Region” in Latvia.Two quantitative researches were done in Latvia and in Lithuania about young entrepreneurs in regions. Additionally many interviews with youngsters were done throughout the project.The project was organized by NGO “Radām Novadam”, for which it was the first such project, although previous “Create for Region” project was also organized by the members of NGO on behalf of another organization. The international partner for project was NGO “Inovaciju Biuras” from Lithuania, which has significant experience with participation in many different Erasmus projects, mainly by being partner in different youth exchange projects. Due to participation in this project, Lithuanian partners gained new experience and knowledge in youth projects.219 youngsters without previous entrepreneurship experience took part in the competition in Latvia. During the course of the competition, youngsters themselves took all the actions needed – created business plans, searched for funding, spoke with municipalities, local government, customers and partners. Young people learned from everyday experience and project organizers researched their thoughts, growth, future goals and how they overcome difficulties to achieve the objectives in both countries. Two surveys were done in each country- one in the year 2017 and another one at the autumn 2018. 81 participant took part in the first survey in Latvia and 19 of them participated in the second one, mostly the ones who had successfully implemented their business ideas. In Lithuania ,125 youngsters took part in the first survey and 50 in the second one. The competition in Latvia attracted different cooperation partners and supporters who provided publicity, mentorship and helped to cover some parts of prize funds.During the project 2 international conferences were organized in Vilnius and Riga. More than 20 youngsters participated in each of them and gained new information and knowledge that could have assisted in the implementation process of their business ideas.More than 200 youngsters in Latvia had their first real business experience by participating in the project and that was one of the main achievements of the project. At least 8 business projects were implemented and 11 new jobs created in regions. The main achievement in Lithuania was research itself as well as creation of educational movie and additionally video clips for young entrepreneurs. Survey and shooting of video provided youngsters with opportunity to reflect on themselves and better understand their motivation and goals, as well as it provided learning opportunity to present themselves in order to attract new clients and business partners.At least three business projects that were implemented because of the project are sustainable in the long period of time and will positively influence lives of youngsters as well as lives of local people. Those projects are a new kindergarten, new factory and new water recreation center.Because of the research that was done, it is easier to understand what type of youngsters and why are implementing business projects in regions. Researches revealed that previous experience, knowledge and access to funding doesn’t really have much influence on whether business project will be implemented or not. The most important things are character and will power of youngsters. Researches also proved how competition as a motivation tool helps to implement business projects in regions. The results will definitely help provide statistical basis for attracting funding for similar future business project competitions in regions."

Project “Create for Region” is a students’ business project contest in which students’ teams are realizing their business ideas in counties where they have chosen to work. The goal of each team is to create as much economic value as possible for their county - new jobs, higher investments, new income sources for locals, new tax revenues for municipalities etc.This contest is different from all other business competitions, because it values the economic results instead of business ideas or plans. Thus, it helps youngsters to develop ability to take risks and responsibility; it motivates orientation towards results and willingness to create businesses that not only bring value and prosperity to themselves, but also for society. In order to do all that, students can create their own companies or simply assist to local companies or organizations. With the financial support of “Erasmus+: Youth in Action” program, the project was run in three countries -Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia from September 1, 2014 till August 31, 2016. One of the main tasks of the project was to test different approaches in different countries in order to get as much data as possible and to come up with the most effective framework for organizing such a project in any other country. Due to different reasons the contest fully was run only in Latvia.There were two stages carried out in Estonia: the preparation and selection of the teams (Sep2014 - May2015). In Lithuania, preparation, teams selection and ideas’ development stages happened in full scale, but the execution of ideas - only partially. In the course of this pilot project teams of young people in Latvia and and Lithuania created 17 new companies and organizations, 7 new job places and attracted around 200000 EUR in financing for their business projects.The project was acknowledged as the best entreprenourship promotion project in Latvia 2016 and was nominated to EEPA award as the best entreprenourship promotion project in Europe in 2016. In the frame of the project there were developed methodology for implementation such project in different countries and recommendations for improving entrprenourship support tools for youth . Project results were introduced to 20 young people organizations in different countries.

<< Objectives >>The project aims to raise awareness about mental wellbeing in youth work. It’s main objectives are to increase the capacities of partner organisations regarding the topic, to create an international network of youth workers, educators and organisations that will be engaged in raising awareness on the importance of mental health, and to increase youth workers’ skills of emotional intelligence, sensitivity and empathy leading them to personal development.<< Implementation >>BE WELL project will last for 14 months and will be consist of a number of activities:(1) 2 international partnership meetings in Greece and Lithuania;(2) International seminar for youth workers in Poland;(3) Online supporting events for youth workers;(4) Number of events organised by youth workers to young people or to other youth workers;(5) International Final Conference in Lithuania with networking sessions.<< Results >>Strengthening European dimension in our activities, the capacities of our organisations regarding the topic and ways of tackling mental health issues in youth work, creating a toolkit that can be shared and used also by new members /ESC volunteers etc and by other youth workers/organisations in their work with young people and on themselves will be increased.Self-sustainable thematic international network of youth workers, educators that will be developed.

"Project ""Augmented Reality for Environmental Education"" will seek the possibility to use the Augmented Reality (AR) technology as an educational tool for young people in Europe. The main target group of this project will be youth workers and educators who are interested in new and innovative tools for youth education and engagement. With the aim of tackling the challenge of finding new education methods that are attractive for young people, project partners will create an educational tool with Augmented Reality application that will focus on environmental education. Taking into consideration the interactive digital nature of Augmented Reality application, this tool will be used to motivate young people to learn more about the challenges and possible futures regarding the environment as well as the change of habits that is needed in order to reach more nature-friendly society. Project partners will choose environmentaleducation topics and create scan cards-posters which will be used together with already existing and developed AR application, creating not only informative reading material but also complementary interactive educational content with images and videos that will give additional insight for each of the chosen topics. This educational tool created in the project will be available for printing out and using in classrooms as well as in a digital format online free of charge, therefore youth workers and educators who are interested in innovative tools will be able to access and use it within their non-formal education programmes and activities."

"<< Objectives >>The SDGs Tackler Toolkit Project aim to promote the creation of a transversal collaboration between associations and educational institutions in the collection, creation and distribution of educational materials to promote the knowledge of young people about the SDGs. The project will operationally aim at (1) Collect, organize and make sense of existing teaching materials, (2) Define and create new learning Tips in synergy with what is already available.<< Implementation >>The project will develop:- An Observatory of good practices will be activated, capable of collecting the different similar experiences already applied in the field of knowledge training and development of the SDGs. - 3 Thematic Workshops.- HackLab Challenge, to acquire new skills but also to generate new projects, with a view to contamination and ""challenge"".- ""SDGs Ambassador Prize"", to replicate the results of the project.<< Results >>The elaboration will consist in the application of the best strategy for the delivery of contents, on an online matrix and toolkits. Each activity will experience the path of issuing an ""open badge"" and will allow the development of a final design output. The final results of SDGs are:- Collection materials to learn about SDGs in online platform;- New learning Tips about SDGs and design thinking project."