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Erasmus Plus Project
2023-1-ES01-KA210-ADU-000153722
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Agile Business Design for Elderly Adult Migrants
Project Activities and Methodology
Methodology
The association aimed to develop innovative tools to expand and enhance entrepreneurship skills among educators from partner organizations that provided support to immigrant populations. This also included immigrants who were involved in the project, assisting them in developing their entrepreneurial ideas as an alternative path to self-sustainability. The development of these entrepreneurship skills was achieved through non-formal learning, utilizing both digital tools and in-person training.
The ultimate goal of the project was to establish an informal network of educators/trainers working with adult immigrants. This network played a crucial role in fostering entrepreneurship skills, supporting immigrants in realizing their entrepreneurial ideas, and promoting self-sustainability. The project envisioned a collaborative effort that empowered both educators and immigrants through a combination of digital and in-person training methods.
Activities
Participants acquired entrepreneurship skills, which were used as a foundation for training more adult immigrants in the context of social growth. Many migrant individuals faced obstacles in undertaking entrepreneurial ventures related to linguistic and cultural barriers, lack of financial capital (e.g., access to banks and guarantees), and lack of social capital (e.g., access to support networks). Specific support measures to help migrants overcome these barriers were necessary not only to stimulate business creation but also to make them more sustainable. Research showed that higher rates of business creation among migrants compared to native individuals were often accompanied by lower rates of business survival.
International Workshop
The first international workshop took place in Spain, with 2 trainers/adult educators from each of the partners (total: 6 individuals) participating. They underwent training and coaching to achieve the project's objectives. This activity ensured that the project team was equipped and trained in the use of the "BUSThink" tool, which was the innovative element of the project and crucial for the migrant beneficiaries to develop their business plans. Additionally, the participants received training in entrepreneurship concepts and facilitation techniques, which were essential for the project's success.
Focus Groups" and "In-Depth Interviews
In this activity, 6 focus groups were conducted—2 in Spain, 2 in Italy, and 2 in Belgium. Each group consisted of 10 adult immigrants (including 5 women) who were seniors with entrepreneurial ideas, totaling 60 migrants. Through these qualitative investigations, a local mapping was obtained regarding the characteristics of this target group, as well as the motivations driving their entrepreneurial aspirations and the challenges they faced. Subsequently, in-depth interviews were carried out with each migrant to delve deeper into the topics discussed in the focus groups, but from the individual perspective of the interviewee. This provided detailed information about their profiles, motivations, and needs, as well as a more comprehensive understanding of each beneficiary's entrepreneurial idea.
Moreover, during these interviews, each participant was informed about the phases involved in presenting their business ideas. This facilitated the subsequent selection of 5 migrants per country (15 in total) who continued in the project. They received training and assistance in developing their business plans, either individually or in group sessions.
2º International Workshop (online)
In four online sessions, two representatives from each partner presented the results of the focus groups and in-depth interviews. The six local mappings obtained were consolidated into a single conclusion regarding the characteristics of older migrant adults with entrepreneurial ideas. Working with individual profiles, including details on each case such as background, motivations, and needs, refined the understanding of the entrepreneurial ideas.
These individual profiles, along with the received applications, aided in selecting 5 migrants per country (a total of 15, with a minimum of 8 women) to continue with the training and development of their business plans. The selection criteria prioritized identifying participants with fewer opportunities and detecting inclusion needs. The consistency and environmental relevance of the presented business ideas were also considered.
During discussions, the contents of the first international workshop were adapted to tailor the educational experience to the migrants participating in the subsequent phases of the project. These content adaptations, along with the profiles and applications of the selected migrants, were incorporated into the annex of the "Trainer's Guide" created during the first international workshop.
Furthermore, discussions and consensus-building were held on the profiles of different migrants and their entrepreneurial ideas, aiming to form affinity groups that led to the creation of study and work groups based on shared interests and/or similar or complementary business ideas.
3º International Workshop
This activity took place in person over 4 days in Italy, where adult trainers from the staff of partner organizations provided training on entrepreneurship concepts and the "Agile Business Design" methodology (BUSThink) to the 15 selected older adult migrants from the 2nd International Workshop for the development of their entrepreneurial projects (5 from each country in the consortium). The training was oriented towards enabling older adult migrants to gain knowledge of entrepreneurship principles tailored to their specific needs and the BUSThink methodology. This methodology innovatively combined elements of "Design Thinking" with the "Business Model Canvas" for the simple, intuitive, user-friendly, and collaborative development of business plans.
During this period, participants in the program not only had the opportunity to acquire knowledge and tools for developing and managing their own projects/businesses but also applied what they learned in the analysis, understanding, and resolution of cases proposed by the trainers. This constituted their first experience using the methodology before implementing it in the development of their own project ideas.
Additionally, migrants received training on the use of the educational digital platform, which was used for tutoring, monitoring, and asynchronous communication of project news and progress. Through this platform, trainers and staff from participating organizations interacted with the participants.
Online Tutoring
The tutoring activity consisted of two distinct phases. In the first phase, 60 immigrants who participated in the discussion groups received asynchronous tutoring. This phase extended until the deadline for submitting applications, during which they presented their entrepreneurial ideas.
The second phase involved a series of video conferences with the program participants. During these sessions, the staff of partner organizations provided mentoring on selected project ideas and business plans, both individually and in affinity teams. Each proposal received feedback from other participants, reinforcing concepts and utilizing methodological tools. This phase engaged participants in the business environment through the analysis of their own projects, encouraged reflective analysis, and fostered networking among program participants and mentors.
Additionally, asynchronous exchanges between mentors and participants were carried out to maintain continuity and feedback throughout all stages of proposal development. Mentors were selected from start-ups and established migrant businesses in Europe, universities, chambers of commerce, and NGOs within collaborative networks associated with partner organizations.
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