Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs programme celebrates 15 years empowering and connecting entrepreneurs across borders

The Chamber maintains its partnership with Antwerp University as part of the EYE programme

EYE holds the kick-off meeting of its new cycle in Bratislava

The Chamber renews its participation in the EYE programme for another four years

The Chamber participates in the 30th EYE Networking Meeting

Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs consortium meets again in Valencia

On 13 and 14 June, the Chamber participated in the consortium meeting of the European Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs programme which was held again in person after almost two years of working together virtually.

The meeting was attended by representatives of all intermediary organisations of the consortium acting as the local contact point for the EYE programme.

These two days of meetings served to share experiences and further strengthen the collaboration between the partners, as well as to establish the next actions to continue supporting European entrepreneurs.

EYE is a transnational exchange programme funded by the European Commission that offers young entrepreneurs the opportunity to learn from experienced entrepreneurs running small businesses in other participating countries.

The Chamber, as the local contact point in Belgium and Luxembourg, offers practical and financial support to entrepreneurs and businesspeople in these countries.

For further information, please contact:

Noelia Sanchez, project manager

erasmus4youngentrepreneurs@e-camara.com

The Chamber promoted youth entrepreneurship at the “Digital skill-up!” training week.

The “Digital skill-up!” training week was organised in the framework of the Erasmus+ project “Transforming COVID-19 into an opportunity: new inclusive digital jobs and training for in the creative sector”. From 25 to 29 October, participants received practical training on content creation for digital media 

On 28 October, the Chamber had the opportunity to meet the participants online and explain the projects that are currently open for young people to develop their entrepreneurial skills and business ideas: 

  • Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs, a European exchange programme that allows young or future entrepreneurs to learn from experienced entrepreneurs running small businesses in other countries.  
  • MobiliseSME, a pilot programme that seeks to strengthen the skills and capacity building of SMEs through temporary exchanges of staff, managers, owners or employees of SMEs. 
  • StartCraft, a training programme for craft entrepreneurs. 

 

The Chamber is grateful for the invitation to YouthProacktiv and looks forward to continuing collaborating with them to promote entrepreneurship among young people. 

 If you would like to know more about any of the programmes, please contact: 

  • Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs, Soraya Bravo: erasmus4youngentrepreneurs@e camara.com 
  • MobiliseSME, Noelia Sánchez: mobilisesme@e-camara.com  
  • StartCraft, Soraya Bravo: startcraft@e-camara.com  

The Chamber continues its collaboration with Antwerp University within the EYE programme

On the 21st of October, the Chamber presented the session “Test your business idea with the EYE programme” to the students of the Spanish for Professional Communication Masters at the Antwerp University.

This presentation was organised in the framework of the annual collaboration between the Chamber and the University, and aims not only to meet the students to discuss about entrepreneurship, but also to unlock their potential for innovation and help them develop a business plan.

For this reason, for one hour and a half the students had the possibility to create their own “start-ups” and receive individualized recommendations to improve their business plans from the project manager of the Chamber.

Additionally, in December 2021 the students will present their business projects in a pitching session, where the project manager of the Chamber will attend as advisor.

The Chamber thanks invitation to the University of Antwerp, and to Lieve Vangehuchten, Head of Spanish Business and Professional Communication at the Institute of Academic and Professional Communication (IPAC) of the University of Antwerp and looks forward to continuing collaborating with them to promote entrepreneurship among university students.

If you would like to know more about the program Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs, please contact:

Soraya Bravo- erasmus4youngentrepreneurs@e-camara.com

The Erasmus for young entrepreneurs, a great help for the HORECA sector

Anke De Mulder and Sebastian Malieni are two entrepreneurs who started collaborating through the Erasmus program for young entrepreneurs in July 2020. On that date, the first Covid wave had already passed and the HORECA sector had the possibility to reopen in Belgium. However, a few months later, bars and restaurants were closed again, and they had to adapt their activities to this new situation 

Anke De Mulder registered in the Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs program with the Chamber in May of the same year. She was looking forward to sharing her experiences and knowledge with the new generations of young entrepreneurs and explore possibilities to enlarge her professional network at the European level. 

When we first interviewed her, she told us about her vegetarian restaurant, Shyam, located in Brussels and the new services and products that she was trying to develop. A few weeks later, thanks to the platform of the program, she got in contact with Sebastian Malieni, an enthusiast new entrepreneur from Spain interested in learning by doing about HORECA company managementHe told us that his interest was to go extend his knowledge of the food business.  

A few months after the start of their exchange, the sanitary situation changed. Anke had to adapt her business to the new situation, and she and Sebastian had to also modify the activities they had planned to develop. Despite this setback, they were very motivated to continue collaborating. They worked exclusively for takaway orders, behind closed doors, and complying with all the necessary regulations.  

“Our office is a kitchen, andon a normal day, of course, we cook, but we also focus on organizational issues, orders, procedures, etc.” Additionally, they told us that they did not see the need to stop collaborating. It is precisely at this time that he (Sebastian) is being of great help”, Anke told us.  

According to Sebastian, “for better or for worse, it has been a great experience for me to participate in the exchange in times of pandemic, since I have learned how to overcome complicated situations in the best possible way.” 

Now that the exchange is over, neither of them sees an end to their relationship. They will stay in touch and Sebastian confirmed to us that since his next step is to open his own business, he will continue to be in contact with Anke in case he needs any advice. 

 

Click here to discover more about the Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs. 

Contact us to register in the program by sending an email to erasmus4youngentrepreneurs@e-camara.com  

The Chamber presents the EYE programme at KU Leuven University

On 16 November, the Chamber presented the Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs (EYE) programme to 35 students of the Master’s in Business Economics in the specialisation of entrepreneurship and innovation at KU Leuven University.

During the class “Foundations of Entrepreneurship”, Paula Úbeda, Project Assistant of the Chamber, gave the students information about what the EYE programme is, who can participate, the registration process and the benefits of this programme. Furthermore, as an additional element, the Chamber presented the profile of a Dutch host entrepreneur interested in new entrepreneurs in the sustainable design sector in Belgium.

This presentation and collaboration with the department of administration, strategy and innovation of the Katholieke Universiteit de Leuven demonstrates the importance of cooperation between universities and organisations to continue promoting and supporting future entrepreneurs in Europe.

The Chamber appreciates the invitation of KU Leuven University and Professors Michael Moedl and Pieter Vermeulen to present this international entrepreneurship opportunity to their students and looks forward to continuing collaboration with them to promote entrepreneurship and enterprise among university students.

If you would like to know more about the Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs programme, please contact Soraya Bravo (project manager) sending an email to erasmus4youngentrepreneurs@e-camara.com.