EmpoweerNEET First Press Release
The EmpoweerNEET project has officially started, marking a major step forward in advancing youth employability, social inclusion, and sustainable economic opportunities across the Mediterranean region. Young people who are Not in Education, Employment, or Training (NEETs) will gain access to practical skills, entrepreneurial pathways, and real-world work experiences through this ambitious EU-funded initiative.
Co-funded by the European Union under the Interreg NEXT MED Programme, with an EU contribution of 89%, EmpoweerNEET has a total budget of €2.3 million and a duration of 30 months. The project addresses persistent youth unemployment and social exclusion by piloting inclusive, place-based pathways for NEET youth, with a strong emphasis on social and solidarity economy (SSE), green skills, and social entrepreneurship.
From Vision to Measurable Results
EmpoweerNEET is designed to deliver tangible, high-impact outcomes across participating Mediterranean countries. Over the project’s lifetime, it will achieve:
- 4 modular training programmes developed on social entrepreneurship, green skills, and employability
- 300 NEET youth trained, with tailored and inclusive learning pathways
- 6 Social and Solidarity Economy (SSE) platforms enhanced to better support youth engagement and enterprise creation
- 85 NEETs placed in job-shadowing and exchange schemes, strengthening employability and cross-regional learning
- 60 start-up support packages delivered, providing mentoring, business development, and incubation services
- 6 sustainable financing strategies and 6 local government roadmaps co-developed to ensure long-term impact
- 1 comprehensive policy paper produced to inform regional and EU-level youth inclusion and employment policies
These results position EmpoweerNEET as a practice-oriented and policy-relevant initiative, bridging grassroots action with institutional reform.
Kickoff Meeting and Project Implementation
The official Kickoff Meeting, held in Barcelona on 21–22 January 2026, brought together all project partners from Palestine, Spain, Greece, Lebanon, Tunisia, and France. The meeting marked the operational launch of the project and ensured alignment on implementation, coordination, and impact delivery.
Key outcomes of the meeting included:
- Consolidation of project management, communication, and financial procedures in line with Interreg NEXT MED requirements.
- Definition of a clear six-month action plan, focusing on capacity-building and youth entrepreneurship pilots.
- Agreement on integrated pilot actions combining training, mentoring, job-shadowing, and incubation support for NEET youth.
- Strengthened Mediterranean cooperation and knowledge exchange, reinforcing peer learning among partners and territories.
Expected Impact
By directly responding to skills mismatches, limited access to support services, and fragmented entrepreneurial ecosystems, EmpoweerNEET aims to generate lasting social and economic impact by:
- Empowering NEET youth with market-relevant, green, and social entrepreneurship skills.
- Supporting the creation and consolidation of youth-led social and green enterprises.
- Strengthening inclusive and sustainable local economies across Mediterranean regions.
- Contributing evidence-based insights to policy dialogue and regional strategies on youth employment and social inclusion.
EmpoweerNEET Partnership
The project is implemented by a multidisciplinary Mediterranean consortium combining academic excellence, institutional capacity, and grassroots expertise:
- An-Najah National University (Palestine) – Lead Partner; overall coordination and strategic oversight
- Fons Català de Cooperació al Desenvolupament (Spain) – Institutional coordination, dissemination, and sustainability
- KMOP (Greece) – Capacity-building, training methodologies, and transfer of good practices
- Business Consultancy & Training Services – BCTS (Lebanon) – Entrepreneurship support and business development
- TCSE Network (Tunisia) – Social economy expertise, youth-led initiatives, and regional knowledge exchange
- CDE Petra Patrimonia (France) – Place-based youth entrepreneurship and cooperative approaches
Together, the partnership ensures that EmpoweerNEET delivers inclusive, scalable, and sustainable solutions, fully aligned with Interreg NEXT MED objectives and regional development priorities.
More Information
For further information about the project, its activities, and results, please visit:
https://www.interregnextmed.eu/project-page/empoweerneet/about/
Project Manager:
Dr. Imad Ibraik
An-Najah National University
📧 iibrik@najah.edu
Disclaimer:
The contents of this press release are the sole responsibility of An-Najah National University-Palestine and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union or the Interreg NEXT MED Programme.
EmpoweerNEET MED: Upskilling NEETs through Social and Solidarity Economy
Across the Mediterranean, NEETs (young people Not in Employment, Education, or Training) face significant challenges, including high unemployment rates, economic exclusion, and limited access to quality education and vocational training, exacerbating social inequalities. At the same time, the potential of Social and Solidarity Economy (SSE) to promote inclusive economic growth and social integration is underutilized.
EmpoweerNEET brings together entities from Palestine, Spain, Greece, Tunisia, Lebanon, and France to effectively address NEETs´ marginalization. The project offers comprehensive training programs to develop entrepreneurial and employment skills, provides practical experiences through job shadowing and mentoring, and ensures sustainability via supportive policy frameworks and ethical financing models. EmpoweerNEET aims to transition NEETs from economic and social marginalization to empowerment.
DURATION:
Start Date: 24/10/2025
End Date: 23/04/2028
Project Partners
- An-Najah National University (Lead Partner)
- Catalan Fund for Development Cooperation (PP1)
- KMOP – Social Action and Innovation (PP2)
- Business Consultancy and Training Services (PP3)
- Tunisian Center for Social Entrepreneurship (PP4)
- Coopérative d’Activité et d’Emploi Petra Patrimonia (PP5)
Why the project matters
NEETs in the Mediterranean are at high risk of socio-economic exclusion due to a lack of tailored training and pathways into employment. The SSE sector is recognized for its ability to foster inclusive economic growth, social integration, and sustainable development. However, its potential to absorb and uplift NEETs is often overlooked.
Upskilling NEETs through Social and Solidarity Economy is the focus of the project to address the high rate of NEETs in the Mediterranean region.
What it aims to achieve
- To equip NEETs with essential entrepreneurial and employability skills tailored to the Social and Solidarity Economy sector.
- To foster experiential learning via job-shadowing and cross-country mentorship exchanges.
- To establish supportive financing models and inclusive policy frameworks that enable NEET-led initiatives to succeed.
Expected change
- Improved employment and entrepreneurship prospects for NEETs across six Mediterranean countries.
- Stronger support systems and financing strategies for NEETs entering the SSE sector.
- Increased policy commitment towards inclusive youth integration into local economies.
What the project delivers
- 4 comprehensive training modules for 300 NEETs, combining online and in-person formats.
- Regional e-learning platform with tailored SSE content and networking tools.
- 85 job-shadowing and mobility opportunities across six countries.
- Policy roadmap and sustainable financing strategies for NEETs in the SSE sector.
- Startup vouchers and mentorship packages for NEET-led initiatives.
- SSE financing guidelines tailored to local economic contexts.
- 6 national-level implementation roadmaps for local authorities.
- Cross-sectoral networking via SSE fairs and stakeholder events.
Who benefits
- 300 NEETs, including youth up to 30 years old and women of all ages, receiving entrepreneurial training.
- 60 SSE enterprises engaging with NEETs through mentorship and job shadowing.
- 30 financial institutions co-designing inclusive funding solutions.
- Local governments (with a concentrated focus on departments of education, labour, and economic development).
- 35 policymakers engaged to collaboratively develop sustainable financing strategies and policy frameworks.
- Civil society and community-based organizations gaining replicable models.
- Broader Mediterranean communities benefiting from inclusive economic growth.
The contents of this website are the sole responsibility of TCSE and can under no circumstances be considered as reflecting the views of the European Union or the Programme management structures.
The Future of Social and Solidarity Economy Conference, June 23rd, 2022
Envision the future of the social and solidarity sector in Tunisia!
Join us for a one-day conference, gathering local and international social and solidarity actors, to reflect on the social and solidarity economy’s future.
The Future of Social and Solidarity Economy Conference comes within the framework of the MedRiSSE project’s launching conference and the dissemination of the MedUP project and will take place in Golden Tulip El Mechtel Hotel, in Tunis.