MY SITE, CYPRUS, GREECE, ITALY, MALTA, SPAIN

The My Site project was organised in three phases over 2018-19. In a first phase, research was conducted on the needs of young entrepreneurs. This research component involved interviews with experts and young entrepreneurs to develop an overview of the legal, political and institutional conditions as well as the barriers for entrepreneurship faced by local and immigrant youth in the five participating countries. In a second phase, entrepreneurship training was offered free of charge to immigrants, asylum seekers, refugees and local youth through in-person workshops in the participating countries and online. The workshops covered a range of topics (e.g. finding a market, developing a business plan, starting a venture, accessing finance, management and marketing) and ranged from 3-day workshops to 5-week programmes. They were developed based on the findings of the research component of the project. Participants received a certificate of participation. In a third phase, participants were paired with a mentor to work on their own business ideas. Mentors helped participants identify market opportunities, refine their project and prepare for the potential risks. Mentors were established entrepreneurs who were familiar with the relevant business fields.