European Commission selects IMPRINT+ as a reference project in Entrepreneurship Education

11/09/2016

IMPRINT+ ‘Imprinting an ecological compensation reasoning on society by means of young citizens’ Project was selected by the European Commission to integrate a working group devoted to Entrepreneurship Education. The project consists of an international strategic partnership for School Education, funded by the Erasmus + program.

With less than a year, IMPRINT+ has been positioning itself as a reference project in the fields of environmental education and citizen participation in the various countries of the consortium. Now it was the European Commission itself, which finances the project through the Erasmus + program, to recognize its relevance in the area of Youth Entrepreneurship.

Aiming to foster international cooperation for the establishment of best practices in various areas, the European Commission regularly opens collaborative platforms for which relevant project leaders are selected. The newest working group of the “School Education Gateway” platform is dedicated to Entrepreneurship Education, and IMPRINT+ has been selected to take part.

The IMPRINT+ Project aims to promote environmentally responsible behavior through gaiming and educational competitions. The primary target audience are children and youngsters, but the messages are aimed at society as a whole, assuming the mobilizing power of the youngest towards behavioral changes. The innovative character of the project is related to its multidisciplinary approach and the fact of combining the conservation of natural resources and environmental education with green entrepreneurship. "How can I create my own job while protecting nature? What green economy opportunities are there for young Europeans? How to value natural capital at a local level?" are some of the questions that IMPRINT+ will address, and earned the project the recognition by the European Commission.

IMPRINT+ is coordinated by the University of Aveiro, in Portugal, in partnership with the Municipality of Lousada, where the project’s field actions are taking place; LeaveNoTrace Ireland, the greatest Irish NGO in the field of environmental good practices; IISS Cipolla-Pantaleo-Gentile, a science school of Sicily, Italy; IES Pedro Jiménez Montoya, a secondary school of Baza, Spain; and E.N.T.E.R., an Austrian agency for the dissemination of results of European projects.