The Talent Together project promotes the entrepreneurship and digital skills of refugees. It offers personalised services and a physical and digital space in which refugee participants can create networks and develop their business-related skills and knowledge.
This pilot project has 2 phases: target group outreach and research, and entrepreneurship programme design and implementation.
Project Goal
According to the National Integration Evaluation Mechanism (NIEM)'s Lithuania national report for 2022, limited assistance (i.e. financial or logistical support) is offered to refugees in Lithuania who want to create their own business plans. The project therefore aims to promote more successful, smooth integration by developing participants' capacities, skills and networks, ensuring that refugees can contribute to the Lithuanian community economically and socially.
How it works
The project is a refugee-led initiative, and directly involves refugees in all stages as project managers and beneficiaries. The project team, which includes a project manager, a manager for volunteers and communities, and the volunteers themselves, implement the project in two phases.
The initial phase will involve reaching out to refugees who want to create, or already have already created, a business in Lithuania, and will conduct research into their entrepreneurship needs, challenges and the type of support needed. There will be an open call for business ideas in order to better understand what kind of businesses refugees want to create.
The existing ecosystem for entrepreneurs in Lithuania will be analysed to measure its accessibility to refugees, and lessons will be learnt from international best practices in entrepreneurship programmes. Based on the research findings, a 2-month entrepreneurship programme will be designed, built around refugee needs and mobilising existing resources in the local entrepreneurship ecosystem.
Participants in the programme will develop and strengthen entrepreneurial skills such as creative thinking, planning and organising, communication, decision making, financial modelling, negotiation, and building business-related networks.
Who benefits
Refugees who are willing to open a new business or strengthen a current business. Lithuanian society will benefit as refugees can become contributors to social and economic life.
Funding and resources
The project received funding from the UNHCR Refugee-led Innovation Fund.
- Project duration
- 7 Feb 2023 - 7 Feb 2024
- Project locations
- Lithuania
- Project website
- Pabėgėlių Taryba (Refugee Council of Lithuania)
- Migration status
- Asylum
- Topic
- Employment and skills
Results
The project supports its participants to:
- create networks
- develop their skills and knowledge
- develop or strengthen their own business
At least 30 refugee owners of business ideas or existing businesses will have the opportunity to express their concrete needs for developing or strengthening their existing businesses. The entrepreneurship programme will be co-designed together with refugees and partners to develop personalised services addressing their needs.
8 - 15 owners of business ideas will participate directly in a pilot programme and gain necessary skills, knowledge, and networks to present and develop their business ideas.
5 selected owners of business ideas will benefit from participation at a final networking event and will have an opportunity to attract investment and get professional feedback to improve their business plans.
Evaluation
It is a pilot programme, therefore we will seek regular feedback from the main beneficiaries and other stakeholders about the program and how it can be improved, within the constraints of the project resources.
Contact
Lina Grudulaitė
- Name
- Lina Grudulaitė
- info
refugeeslt [dot] com