Digi Coop for youth employability

A high rate of unemployment, particularly among young people, an absence of opportunities for youth to engage in the community and seek personal and professional growth, and a lack of cross-sector...

The project overall GOAL is to enhance cooperation between the cross-border regions of Greece, North Macedonia, and Bulgaria by supporting online networking and cooperation between representatives of different sectors (youth, education, business) with a focus on addressing youth unemployment and providing young people access to the new opportunities developing their employability and entrepreneurial competences. Specific OBJECTIVES: -Creating ONLINE NETWORKING PLATFORM enhancing networking, cooperation between the representatives of different sectors and enabling young people from cross-border regions to look for and to access new opportunities -Raising AWARENESS of the representatives of different sectors on the possibilities of online networking and cooperation in the cross-border regions -EQUIPPING young people with information on the possibilities of upgrading their competencies by subscribing to the platform.

The project's activities were meticulously carried out in accordance with the suggested implementation plan focusing on cross-border cooperation addressing the youth unemployment in North Macedonia, Greece, and Bulgaria. Key project activities: WP1 PROJECT MANAGEMENT: Kick off meeting [29.09-1.1.2022, Krusevo, North Macedonia] , Mid-term meeting [28-30.4.2023, Sofia, Bulgaria], Evaluation meeting [1-3.12.2023, Thessaloniki, Greece]. WP2 NETWORKING PLATFORM: Research activities [November 2022 - October 2023, all participating countries] that included desk analysis, 6 focus groups and over 70 deep interviews]; Development and testing of digital platform [April -November 2023] consisted and testing from content creation by all partners; launching and promoting the digital platform [November – December 2023] implemented by all project partners in their countries. WP 3 DISSEMINATION: International Multiplier Event [4.12.2024, Skopje, North Macedonia] with 150 youth and stakeholders from all three countries; National Multiplier Event [15.12.2023, Bulgaria, Sofia] and National Multiplier Event [9.12.2023, Thessaloniki, Greece] with more than 100 youth and stakeholders from Greece and Bulgaria.

The project yielded impactful results, including a comprehensive research report detailing the situation of young people in the cross-border region of North Macedonia, Greece, and Bulgaria. Apart from the data gathered within the research report, it also has conclusions and recommendations for future actions. Additionally, a multilingual digital platform for cooperation and networking was developed, facilitating collaboration among stakeholders in three languages. The digital platform ( https://www.digicoop.net/) consists of resources and information about regulations and opportunities for education, employment, and mobility in the neighbouring countries. Finally, through targeted awareness-raising initiatives, the project successfully raised awareness about the opportunities for cross-border cooperation, empowering young people and stakeholders to engage in collaborative efforts for socio-economic development.