A group of young people and trainers are working hard to develop green business ideas and organize an informational campaign on green entrepreneurship in Palermo.
During these months in the city are taking place a series of thematic workshops on topics related to green entrepreneurship held by the Italian trainers trained in Beja the last February. The programme is very rich and in addition to providing theoretical inputs, it is based on practical activities and on a non-formal approach. Besides it is structured in two macro activities: the development of green entrepreneurial ideas and design and organisation of an awareness addressed to the local community.
The first workshop started with a presentation of the programme, of the participants and of the trainers. These last had the opportunity to tell their experience of international training course in Beja. The afternoon continued with team building activities and thematic sessions dedicated to: green ethic and sustainability, green entrepreneurship definition, leading innovation and strategic planning.
The second workshop was dedicated to marketing and branding and to a brainstorming of ideas for the informational campaign. During the first part of the workshop, the participants generated crazy ideas to reinvent and sell common objects such as a cup or tape. Then, for the informational campaign they proposed to organize a mix of activities in a public space in the city centre of Palermo, including games to actively involve citizens and the exposition of project ideas developed during the workshops.
In the next meetings participants will visit the local business Monsù (http://www.monsu.it/en/), which produces ice cream with local products. Monsù adopted sustainable solutions for its production process such as: the use of renewable energy, the use of biodegradable materials for the packaging and the reduction of waste at minimum.
After taking inspiration and motivation from the local entrepreneur, the team will focus on the development of business ideas. The trainers will guide the participants in the creation of business models, they will share ideas on how to improve the original ideas and finally find the best way to present the idea for the International Youth Exchange in Slovenia. At the end of November, in a public square of Palermo, the local informational campaign will take place to sensitize citizens about green entrepreneurship.
The trainers are demonstrating that they have learned fundamental concepts and are able to apply non-formal methods to transmit the green entrepreneurial spirit to local young people. From their side, the young people involved in the local activities, who have different backgrounds and ambitions, are showing to have an interest in acting in a sustainable way in everyday life and in their future careers. For sure this experience will not only be a way to learn concepts useful to became a green entrepreneur and to create a business model. It will be also a way to enrich young people own ideas through the exchange with their peers and to increase the sense of responsibility towards their local community around relevant topics such as sustainability.