February 2025
It is truly remarkable to see how the SOEN initiative, which began as a local Slovak idea, now reaches beyond the borders of the European Union. Through the new Erasmus+ Capacity Building project PlaNET Social Enterprise 4 (SOEN4), the network expands to the Western Balkans, connecting young people, teachers, and youth organizations from Slovakia, Poland, Albania, Kosovo, and Montenegro in a shared mission to empower youth and strengthen participatory culture.
Between 21–26 February 2025, project partners gathered in Banská Bystrica, Slovakia, for the Kick-off Meeting and Mentorship Training, hosted by the Agency for Development of the Gemer Region (APRG) – the project’s lead partner. The event marked the official launch of a new three-year collaboration promoting youth leadership, civic participation, and social entrepreneurship.
The first part of the meeting focused on project coordination and management. Partners reviewed the project timeline, roles, and intellectual outputs, discussed financial procedures, and planned activities for the school year 2025/2026. Particular attention was given to preparing the Project Evaluation Plan (PeP), Impact Assessment Plan (IAP), and Dissemination and Visibility Plan (DaVP) to ensure transparency, quality, and measurable outcomes.
The second part of the programme included a three-day mentorship training, aimed at strengthening the capacities of youth workers and teachers involved in School Participatory Budgeting. Through workshops, role-playing, and simulations, participants enhanced their mentoring, communication, and empathy skills while learning innovative ways to engage students in decision-making. The training concluded with a participatory budgeting simulation, where teams developed and voted on project ideas, mirroring real-life processes that will soon take place in schools across partner countries.
The atmosphere throughout the week was both professional and inspiring. Participants left motivated to empower young people to take active roles in shaping their communities. As one mentor noted: “This project is more than education—it’s about building bridges between young minds and real social change.”
The next SOEN4 milestone will be the Online Youth Academy, bringing together more than 150 students and youth leaders from the Western Balkans and EU countries for a joint online training in autumn 2025.
SOEN4 – PlaNET Social Enterprise 4 is co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union
