Being as one of the major point in ENPI Kolarctic programme, Young
Innovative Entrepreneurs (YIE) project has been making an enormous impact on
social development and on the economic situation for the whole Barents region.
More attentively, YIE has paid attention to specific developing aspects in High
North, such as entrepreneurship and employment level in local economic region,
by bringing new ideas into the business sphere and establishing an active
cooperation between young innovative entrepreneurs and already existing seasoned
entrepreneurs around the Barents region.
Project’s final event included a business workshop on 30th
October and a concluding seminar on 31st October. Through the
business workshop, our young entrepreneurs in the Barents Regions had a chance
to introduce their products and services directly to people in Rovaniemi by
having individual promotion stands. An inspiring mini workshop was also held by
Victoria Timofeeva from ARTishock, where participants can create beautiful
paper flowers themselves. The aim of the seminar on the next day was to share
our achievements and results and to strengthen cross-border entrepreneurship network
in the Barents Region.
Main Part of the Seminar
Opening words were given by Leena
Alalääkkölä, director of Culture and Business in Lapland UAS. She had an
aim to adjust young and creative generation for future entrepreneurship
relations and tell them that there is nothing to be afraid of.
Other speakers included for example Risto
Mäkikyrö from Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the
Environment for Lapland – regional support for innovating businesses – TEKES,
and Tiina Hoskari, graphic
facilitator from Kuvitellen Ltd.
Project manager Eila Seppänen from
Lapland UAS explained that the main target of the YIE project was to establish a safe, innovative and
entrepreneurial learning environment to everyone. Seppänen gave thanks to InnoBarentsLab
(IBL), the organization who was the main organizer of the Concluding Seminar.
She pointed out that IBL is an useful and efficient tool for progressing skills
and entrepreneurial training.
Group discussions
YIE team members shared their own acquired knowledge while working
together during the project. As a summary of all received experiences, YIE
guests were pleased to share with us some inspirational videos. One of them
came from Norway, from Heidi Andreassen.
While watching movies, seminar’s participants recognized that each individual has
its own mindset to see him/herself in the various stages of life and thanks to
YIE there was the chance to participate and experience, in order to achieve new
business contacts.
Through the active discussion it was clearly understandable that members
of this project, no matter where they came from – Sweden or Finland, Norway or
Russia –will try to reach that next level of entrepreneurship.
The concluding words by project coordinators Anzelika Krastina and Saila Puukko
were that a great job was done, but there is no reason to stay on the now
reached level. This is not the final destination for us, who joined from the
beginning of the project.
Even when YIE comes to its end and closes the door behind, in the same
time it opens a window for InnoBarentsLab to start the next generation.
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Stay tuned and see what happens after the YIE project: InnoBarentsLab
