Target area:	Linking Higher Education & Society
Sub-target area:	Human Resource Development
Target countries:	Austria, Bulgaria, France, Germany, Poland
Duration:	01/10/2017 - 30/09/2019
Partners:	FH JOANNEUM Gesellschaft mbH (FHJ) , Austria Fundacja Samodzielni Robinsonowie, Poland Bundesverband Therapeutische Gemeinschaften Österreich, Austria Groupe SOS Jeunesse, France SPSPD FICE, Bulgaria IKJ Institut für Kinder- und Jugendhilfe GmbH, Germany
Budget line:	European Union, Erasmus+

Project description

The CYCLES project is set to improve entrepreneurship skills and financial literacy of child and youth care practitioners (CYCP).

Child and youth care systems in countries across Europe provide decent support for children and adolescents with complex needs. However, in most countries care ends at the age of 18, leaving the so-called young care leavers to stand on their own feet and earn a living. Young care leavers (YCL) belong to the most vulnerable groups in European societies, exhibiting an above-average propensity to fall into unemployment, poverty, criminality and other undesirable developments. YCL employability would increase substantially with improved financial literacy and entrepreneurship skills. The problem is, however, that YCL hardly get the chance to develop such skills during care. After all, even a majority of their caretakers have deficits in this field, as there are rarely any economic subjects in their studies or formation.

Therefore, CYCLES addresses child and youth care practitioners as multipliers: CYCLES empowers CYCP to act as financial literacy and entrepreneurship mentors, pass on their skills and help establish favorable conditions for further capacity building.