Living Lab organized by IECE, North Macedonia

The event was held on May 31, 2022 online. Representatives of 3 municipalities from the target region, youth and members of non-governmental organizations were present. In addition to information about the project, the event also shared information about the upcoming international event and the possibility of concluding a memorandum of understanding, to which the attendees showed considerable interest.

At the end of the event, there was an open discussion during which resources were shared from publications of the National Youth Council of Macedonia on youth perceptions of entrepreneurship

The memorandum of understanding was signed by 1 government office, 1 municipality and 2 non-governmental organizations

The main conclusions after the discussions in all partner countries were:

• Young people should see role models – successful entrepreneurs who came from the same environment as them. In addition, the family environment is very important. Young people whose parents/relatives are entrepreneurs have an additional incentive to start a business. If they live among entrepreneurs, they will probably end up being entrepreneurs too.
• Encouraging many trips abroad so that young people can get to know other experiences, good practices and ideas.
• Teaching young entrepreneurs to focus on soft skills, – negotiation, critical thinking, resilience, this is everything behind knowing how to create your own business.
• Digitization enables young people to learn online. But the problem is that the villages do not have optical connections to ensure that young people can get a digital education.
• Creation of municipal councils for the promotion of (youth) entrepreneurship in the municipalities, in which representatives of relevant municipal directorates, municipal councilors, representatives of educational institutions (schools, universities), of local business organizations, student councils, as well as recognizable and socially engaged young entrepreneurs;
• Competitions for young entrepreneurs by municipalities, as they most fully reflect local characteristics and opportunities for starting a business
• Initiation of local mentoring programs with people from practice for students and high school students in order to stimulate entrepreneurial intentions and entrepreneurial activity;
• On this basis, the following project results will be developed. In the month of July, the International event will be held, where the participants in the Rural entrepreneur ecosystem will be determined and a Memorandum of Understanding and future cooperation will be signed.