The need to motivate and support young people classified as NEETs (youth not in Education, Employment or Training) to start their own business has brought together 6 organizations, aiming to boost youth employment across Europe, under a strategic 3-year project called “Active Youth Entrepreneurship Network”, known as “AYEN”*. The aim of the project is to build a transnational entrepreneurial network that facilitates NEETs primarily in the age group of 25-29 to see needs/opportunities within their own community that can be developed into new businesses and jobs.

The kick-off meeting of the AYEN project, which is co-funded by the EEA and Norway Grants Fund for Youth Employment, took place on the 26th and 27th of September at the premises of Hellenic Management Association (HMA) in Athens (Greece).

During the two-day meeting, representatives from partners of the six countries talked about the various work packages of the project, the administrative and financial issues, the communication tools as well as dissemination activities. Also, it was focused on the ongoing activities and on the next steps until the 2nd Τransnational meeting, which is planned to be held in February in Bari (Italy), hosted by Tecnopolis Science and Technology Park (TSTP).

The project lasts for 36 months (from 01.06.2018 – 28.05.2021) across the six project locations, represented by the project partners. They are: