1. What is Green Entrepreneurship [= GreEn]

[Entrepreneur]: An entrepreneur is willing to venture into connecting or creating alternatives and pursuing innovation to address the needs in her or his environment.

[Green]: For a truly sustainable future, not only our natural environmental must be considered: economic, social and personal needs must also be addressed.

2. What is the Generation Europe Foundation Forum on GreEn?

Our mission is to empower young people to find the sustainable entrepreneurs within themselves
in order to become agents of change in their environment and the world.

To this end Generation Europe Foundation has launched an online Co-Creation Community and connected to partners and stakeholder in the field. All our efforts are channeled and represented in our Forum on GreEn: we host a Blog and different face-to-face or online Events : skype-calls, webinars and our Co-Creation Workshop 2010 in Brussels. All to catalyze the mindshift needed to address the global challenges ahead in an open, constructive, sustainable and co-creative spirit.

3. What was the GreEn Co-Creation Workshop?

Our Co-Creation Workshop was a face-to-face meeting of representatives of our global youth community, our partner organisations and stakeholders from the public, private and associative sector.

It was hosted in a dynamic and participatory way using tools of the Art of Hosting methodology.

It took place in Brussels, Belgium, on the 8-10 of December 2010.

We would be happy if you shared your ideas and thoughts on the Co-Creation Workshop with us!

4. What were the goals of the GreEn Co-creation Workshop?

During the workshop we dialogued on two central questions:

What is needed by youg people to become active in the field of GreEn?

What will be our innovative ways to respond to these needs of  young people?

We convened key players in the field and young people to create a better understanding of the needs of young people and to catalyse innovative initiatives that respond to these needs.

It aimed to support the process of creation of a compass  to help us navigate the needs to be addressed and to activate young people in the field of GreEn.

5. What is the online Co-Creation Community?

Generation Europe Foundation has convened the Co-Creation Community, an online platform that serves as an Ideas Incubator where members can:

• Engage in online discussions on empowerment tools and future opportunities
• Co-create projects proposed by community members
• Share knowledge and expertise
• Explore green business ideas to make our way of life more sustainable
• Develop relationships
• Build partnerships

6. Are other activities being planned in for the Forum on GreEn?

Partner Events

Youth Summit 201x

7. Can anyone sign up to join the online Co-Creation Community?

Our target audience is young people under the age of 30:

• Are you young and passionate about making a change for the better in our world?
• Are you driven by vision, curiosity, and ambition?
• Are you looking for co-minded people to create and challenge the world?
• Are you a young entrepreneur?
• Would you like to share your insight and knowledge to make an even bigger impact in our world?
• Are you looking for other green entrepreneurs to support you or to exchange ideas and information with?
• Would you like to influence European policymakers?
• Do you want more training, mentoring and experience?

If the answer to any of these questions is “yes”, then you will benefit from joining the online Co-Creation Community.

The Co-Creation Community is a platform for young people. However, we realise that we need support, insight and exchange from all age groups to make as big an impact on the world as possible.

Intergenerational exchange is key – we are inviting green actors from all age groups to strengthen our and their initiatives. See the statistics of our online Co-Creation Community here.

8. How do I participate in the online Co-Creation Community?

The online Co-creation Community is where you can share your views, contribute to a common vision, and actively engage with stakeholders in our Forum on GreEn.

Members will participate in a complementary currency – an exciting, engaging way to help a community mobilise their resources for a common goal. What will count is members’ contribution to the ongoing dialogue and debates.

Community members will rate each other’s contribution – the more valuable ideas and information are shared, the more “wealth” will be created. Instead of money, we are using “Ants” to value the quantity and “Owls” for the quality of contributions that help others develop their ideas, resonate with members’ values and thoughts, inspire or entertain – all the qualities communities need to prosper.

Start contributing now!

9. What language is being used in the Forum on GreEn?

Please note that the language of all activities and communication on the online Co-Creation Community and in our Live meeting, virtual and face-to-face is English.

10. How do I become a sponsor of the Forum on GreEn?

We are inviting people to participate in the online Co-Creation Community and asking them to sponsor us  to help us disseminate results and engage with policymakers and other stakeholders in implementing a Roadmap for stakeholders to create an enabling environment to help young people today and in the future be more entrepreneurial and innovative, particularly in sustainable businesses and initiatives.

Becoming a sponsor is an effective, efficient and visible way for a company or organisation to engage with youth on sustainability, to support young change makers, to enrich your knowledge, to make a difference – and to be seen making a difference.

There are several levels of sponsorship available, which we would be happy to discuss with interested persons and organisations. We are also looking for in-kind sponsorship.

Our sponsors will also benefit from Generation Europe Foundation’s existing extensive international outreach database and from being part of the growing online Co-Creation Community.

11. How do I become a partner of the Forum on GreEn?

Please help us to make Entrepreneurship and sustainability an reality by:

• Promoting our activities in your newsletter, on your website, and at your meetings by running an ad, publishing an article, providing a web link.

• Distributing our brochure at your workplace or community organisation center.

• Participating in the online Co-Creation Community as a member, sharing your expertise and knowledge.

• Contributing to our virtual Resource Center.

Our supporters will also benefit from Generation Europe Foundation’s existing extensive international outreach database and from being part of the growing online Co-Creation Community.

Please see our partners-page for more information.

12. What is the Generation Europe Foundation?

Generation Europe Foundation’s creation in 1995 was based on a simple observation: the young represent tomorrow’s decision-makers who will live, work, consume and contribute to the economic and political fibre of the world in the years to come.

Surveys reveal that young people have little understanding of their rights and responsibilities as citizens in a changing world. Those concerned, in the public and private sectors, often find it difficult to reach an adolescent or youth target audience and to engage them in interactive dialogue.

Generation Europe Foundation has developed a unique skill set and network of partners throughout Europe able to respond to this challenge; we specialise in communicating with young people throughout Europe on complex issues that relate to their future.

We recognise that society is changing quickly, and that young people must learn to address a growing and fast-changing range of issues that are not covered by the school curriculum. Such issues include online safety, personal health, consumer choices, new opportunities for mobility, the growing inter-connectedness of the world, climate challenges and citizenship rights.

We specialise in bringing these questions into the classroom in such a way that teachers are happy to integrate them in their lesson plans. Since 1995, this has taken the form of a school diary, which is accompanied by a Teachers’ Guide that suggests how teachers might cover these new issues.

Our flagship publication is the Europa Diary, currently funded by the European Commission. Published in 25 languages, it is distributed to over 23,000 secondary schools throughout the European Union, in North Cyprus and Serbia (total print run: over 3 million copies).

A diary for primary school students (ages 8-10) is also available.

We also publish polls and youth opinion surveys conducted on a range of themes. These can be both on and offline and are conducted amongst students, teachers and young professionals to evaluate their views on products, publications and current affairs issues. Response rates on average are 15% – depending on the time available and efforts deployed by our network of partners.

Participation in the target countries is enhanced by the involvement of the Generation Europe Foundation Ambassadors and their local networks.

13. Who are the Generation Europe Foundation Ambassadors?

The Generation Europe Foundation (GEF) Ambassadors represent GEF in their respective countries. They implement international GEF projects locally and carry out the local elements of international campaigns and projects. The GEF Ambassadors promote GEF among students and young professionals in universities and organisations in their home country.

The Ambassadors and Contact Points are playing a crucial role in the development and coordination of certain aspects of the Forum on GreEn, in particular future Country Groups by gathering relevant information and keeping the country webpage up to date.

For more information on how to become an Ambassador, please read the Ambassadors page.