In recent years, Europe has experienced a significant influx of migrants. While migrants bring immense potential to contribute to the economic and social development of their host countries, they often face structural barriers to full inclusion. Data shows that migrant unemployment rates are consistently higher than those of native populations across Europe. One promising avenue to foster both economic inclusion and personal empowerment is entrepreneurship. However, migrants frequently lack the necessary knowledge, skills, and networks to successfully establish their own businesses. The FORMER project was designed to address this gap by providing migrant youth with tailored entrepreneurial training, thereby facilitating their economic participation and social inclusion.

PROJECT PROGRAMME
FORMER was funded under the Erasmus+ KA210-YOU programme, specifically focusing on Small-scale Partnerships in Youth. The project ran for 12 months, from March 2022 to March 2023, with a total grant of €60,000. The partnership included five organisations from four European countries: Spain, Turkey, Germany, and Austria.

PROJECT AIM
The overarching aim of FORMER was to enhance the economic and social inclusion of migrant youth by empowering them to become self-employed. By equipping them with entrepreneurial knowledge and practical tools, the project intended to increase their access to stable income opportunities, thus improving their quality of life and contributing to the sustainable growth of their host communities.

OBJECTIVES
The project sought to achieve three main objectives. The first was to gain a deeper understanding of the barriers that migrants face when pursuing self-employment. The second objective focused on collecting and structuring essential knowledge and resources that migrants need to establish their own businesses. Finally, the third objective was to deliver tailored training to migrant youth, enabling them to acquire the necessary entrepreneurial skills to navigate and succeed in the business landscape of their host countries.

TARGET GROUP
The primary target group of FORMER consisted of young migrants aged 18 to 30 who are at the beginning of their professional journeys and often face disadvantages compared to their native-born peers. Given the diversity within migrant communities—including variations in language, culture, education level, and socio-economic background—the project adopted an inclusive approach, ensuring that training materials were accessible and relevant to this heterogeneous audience.

PROJECT ACTIVITIES
The project implemented three core activities. The first was a comprehensive needs research conducted by all partners to identify specific barriers and knowledge gaps faced by migrant youth in their respective countries. This research served as the foundation for the second activity: the development of a practical guide that provided step-by-step instructions, legal and administrative requirements, and cultural insights necessary for starting a business. The third activity was an interactive webinar series where experienced trainers guided migrant youth through the content of the guide, offering opportunities for real-time engagement and peer learning. Additionally, the project fostered ongoing community building through an online Facebook group, enabling participants to share experiences and continue learning beyond the formal training sessions.