INTERCOMMUNAL SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP COMPETITION
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BY BRIGITTE SCHWARTZ
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PROJECT OBJECTIVES The social entrepreneurship competition has been designed with two Sustainable Development Goals forming its pillars. Firstly, the topic of the competition 'Social Entrepreneurship' is based on the 13th Sustainable Development Goal which promotes climate action. Our goal is to encourage student-participants to develop their skills in entrepreneurship and innovation in a healthy manner which either does no harm or even protects and heals the environment. The second pillar relates to the 16th Sustainable Development Goal which promotes peaceful and inclusive communities for all. We hope that through this competition we will strengthen awareness and contribute to the development of active citizens who advocate for peace and sustainable policies. During the 5 weeks of the program, we aim to bring together 40 students and 10 mentors from all communities of Cyprus. Through teamwork and collaboration, we hope that by the end of the competition lasting relationships will form which will encourage further communication and intercommunal collaboration as we believe that the program will serve as a medium to prove that peaceful coexistence is a realistic goal and that united we stand stronger against the common challenges we face.
PROJECT DESCRIPTION The program will take place online from start to finish, with the exception of the closing ceremony which will take place in Ledra Palace once the competition is completed. The date of the closing ceremony will be announced nearer the time.
The program will commence on Sunday, 23rd of January via Zoom. During this first online meeting, participants will have the opportunity to meet each other, get to know their teammates and their mentors. They will learn more about the goals of the project and will watch presentations given by successful social entrepreneurs in Cyprus.
In the weeks that will follow, participants will work in intercommunal teams of 5 to come up with a business idea which will relate to social entrepreneurship. They will have to develop a coherent business plan and conduct a digital marketing campaign for their product / service on social media platforms. Note that the participants will NOT have to develop the actual product / service. Lastly, the participants will have to create a pitch.
During the 5-week project, participants will have the opportunity to meet new people, communicate on a regular basis online and together use their creativity to work on their skills and potential.
On Sunday, 27th of February the competition will come to a close during an online event where participating teams will have to present their pitch to a committee of judges posing as potential investors. The judges committee will then award the winners of the competition based on the assessment guidelines provided in the final part of this document. Apart from the winners of the competition, the judges will award several more categories such as most successful digital campaign, greenest idea etc.
Once the winners are announced and the competition concludes, it is time for fun! The participants, mentors and organisers will have the opportunity to come together under one roof at the grounds of Ledra Palace. This reception ceremony aims to reward the students for all the hard work they will have done over the 5 weeks. For this reason, there will be drinks and food, games and team-building activities all aimed at helping the participants connect and have fun together! It will also be when all participants will receive their certificates of participation issued by YEU Cyprus and UNFICYP as well as the award certificates. An event not to be missed!
TIMELINE
Deadline of Applications 20th December
Confirmation of successful applicants 10th January
Launch Event 23rd January
Plenary session 12th February
Closing Event 27th February
Reception / Award Ceremony to be announced
COORDINATORS
Irene Antoniou Irene completed her BA in English Literature and has 5 years of teaching experience. She is a cofounder of the Famagusta Students Together initiative and works for the YEU Cyprus organisation. She also volunteers at Famagusta Avenue Garage, an intercommunal space located in Derynia. She loves to work with young people on contemporary issues.
Eralp Kortach Eralp Kortach is a communications consultant with 11 years of experience. He studied International Relations and holds two MA degrees, one in Human Rights and another in European Jewish History. Since relocating back to Cyprus, he has worked with different NGOs such as PeacePlayers-Cyprus, Turkish Cypriot Bar Association and EMAA. He has worked on various projects that centered around youth, such as Council of Europe's Youth Peace Conference and EU funded Inspiring The Future project.
Yiannis Constantinou Yiannis holds a BA in Business Administration and works as a school counsellor as well as a teacher in a private school in the Famagusta region. He is also a qualified Erasmus trainer. He is a co-founder of the Famagusta Students Together initiative and he believes that entrepreneurship can be a strong medium to bring students together.
Osman Enver Olcaytuğ Osman Enver Olcaytuğ is a communications specialist who has been working with young brands in developing their communications strategies while living in the UK. He has been living in Cyprus for the last three years helping NGOs such as Kyrenia Youth and Resource Centre and European Mediterranean Arts Association with their communications. Osman is interested in working with young people and NGOs in Cyprus.
ROLE OF MENTORS Each team of 5 participants will be assigned a mentor. The role of mentors involves creating a safe atmosphere where trust and relationships can evolve into fruitful collaborations. The mentors will be present during student meetings to ensure that all voices are heard and taken into account and that any disagreements or conflicts are resolved peacefully. Furthermore, they will encourage students to focus on their goal, to adhere to the project's deadlines and will provide support whenever needed.
TEAM STRUCTURE The project is aimed at high school students on both sides of the buffer zone. As such, about 40 young students between the ages of 15-19 will come together under this program. They will be assigned into intercommunal teams of 5 persons. Each member of the team will share equal responsibility and workload in relation to their team. However, the participants will be able to decide between themselves and with the approval of their mentor which tasks to take charge of based on their special knowledge and skills. We consider the enhancement of teamwork skills an integral part of this competition as it is absolutely necessary to work collaboratively in order to successfully complete the tasks of the competition.
ASSESSMENT GUIDELINES
Business Plan
Digital Campaign
Sustainability
Logo
Does the business plan communicate well the benefits of the product / service in the market it addresses? Does it respond to a need / problem? Does it offer solutions to a problem in an innovative way? Does the product / service match the profile of the target audience? Is there a realistic plan of implementation?
Engagement: followers, likes, shares Quality of posts: appropriate language, use of images or videos Consistency of posts / regular updates
Is there a holistic approach to sustainability both in the production stage of service / product but also in use of product /service the plan presented considers how to eliminate or make up for carbon footprint the idea and business plan adhere to social entrepreneurship guidelines
Is it original? Is it relevant to the product / service? Is it memorable? Is it timeless?
THE ORGANIZERS YEU Cyprus stands for Youth for Exchange and Understanding Cyprus and it is a nonpolitical, non governmental organization (NGO) based in Nicosia, Cyprus. Since 1995, the aim of YEU is to foster closer co-operation and better understanding among youngsters through the exchange of experiences and ideas. It is one of the biggest youth organizations in Cyprus, numbering more than 1000 members and is considered one of the most active organizations of the island, realizing several activities both on an international and local level.
Famagusta Students Together is an initiative co-founded by two high school teachers who witnessed the excitement of bringing students from both communities of Cyprus together. Hence, since 2019, they have organised a number of activities and events including the entrepreneurship competition.
CONTACT INFORMATION 00357 99573646 / 00357 97816246 evs@yeu-cyprus.org info@yeucyprus.org
YEU Cyprus, 27 Ezekia Papaioannou, 1075 Nicosia