Mediterranean Youth Building Inclusive Entrepreneurial Ecosystems

16-18 September 2024, Helsinki, Finland. The Mediterranean region has one of the youngest populations in the world, with one in every three people being younger than 25 years old, and this number reaches almost half of the population in the Southern and Eastern Mediterranean countries. The recognition of the importance and the role of the youth in the Mediterranean region has been at the centre of the Union for the Mediterranean Ministerial on Employment and Labour, held on 18 May 2022 in Marrakech, Morocco.

Finland’s student-driven entrepreneurial ecosystem is a leading example, with youth-built initiatives like the world’s leading startup conference Slush and the largest hackathon in Europe, Junction, radically shifting public perception towards entrepreneurship and increasing the eagerness of youth to become entrepreneurs. The skills that youth acquire through building these initiatives have made them highly sought after in the labour market with many employers valuing experience in the ecosystem higher than formal education. The Finnish model, supported by the public and private sectors, demonstrates the impact of empowering youth as agents for positive change. Successful entrepreneurs mentor and support youth, while the public sector directs resources towards supporting the initiatives.

The Forum will bring together young people, policy-makers, private sector representatives, Social Partners, as well as other stakeholders from the Mediterranean region to exchange insights and best practices, foster dialogue, collaboration, and set a course for future initiatives.

There will be 4 different sessions focusing on:

1. Empowering youth on their path to entrepreneurship;
2. Cultivating Sustainable and Inclusive Entrepreneurial Ecosystems;
3. Youth-led Ventures as Catalysts for Cross-Regional Employment and Skills Development;
4. Youth Engagement in Finding Solutions for Global Challenges and Sustainable Development.

Recommendations from the event will guide future actions in this priority area, and provide input for reflection for the next UfM Ministerial on Employment and Labour that will take place in 2025.

This event is co-organised by the European Commission on behalf of the Union for the Mediterranean Co-Presidency, with the UfM Secretariat and MIMIR. It has also been prepared in close cooperation with the European Training Foundation, the Mediterranean New Chance Network, the Young Professionals Network, and the Anna Lindh Foundation.