According to the Eurostat 2018 surveys, the unemployment rate of youth aged 15-24 in Lithuania is 10.60%, Hungary has been 10.40% and 12.60% in Bulgaria, while in Sri Lanka, Vietnam and the Philippines, researchers report it to be respectively 15.40%, 7.86% and 6.6%The Partner Consortium has concluded that the issue of youth unemployment is targeted mostly from macro level through the notion of wide policy and effective management of the economy. A true and sustainable solution can only come inside-out; when a shift in thinking and change in perceptions takes place in the minds of young people who come to understand that they have more control over their lives than they think and they are empowered to be proactive and strategic, to seize opportunities, to see the potential and take risks. “InnerTalent” is created by a consortium of 6 organisations from 6 countries (representing 2 continents) all with the same belief - that it is important for young people, as well as for the future of Europe and the world - to be inspired to learn, to develop their talents, skills and attitudes towards themselves and the society.“InnerTalent” aims to develop, test and launch the innovative youth empowerment “InnerTalent” Program, which will include a set of 10 Challenges divided into 3 sections - Cognitive, Corporate and Individual, through which young person should pass for a period of 5 months under the supervision of a mentor from one of the partner organisations involved in this project.“InnerTalent” Objectives:- To share, exchange and transfer good practices, methods and tools in the field of empowering youth through entrepreneurship. - To allow transnational non-formal learning mobility of young people and youth workers.- To develop a long-term sustainable trans-continental network of youth organisations working to empower youth with entrepreneurial skills, mindset and competencies.- To build up the capacities of our organisations in terms of using innovative youth work programs, internationalisation and management.In order to reach this objectives the partner consortium will implement six interlaced project activities:1. Kick off Meeting in Sofia (Bulgaria)2. Job Shadowing in Colombo (Sri Lanka)3. Leaders Transnational Meeting in Hanoi (Vietnam) 4. Training Course in Budapest (Hungary)5. Youth Exchange in Manila (Philippines)6. Closing Conference in Klaipeda (Litnuania).“InnerTalent” aim and objectives were jointly developed by the Partner Consortium members, considering the needs of the youngsters, the needs of the partner organisations, the professional experiences of the internal staff, the needs of local communities and countries by revising national researches and strategies, as well as the EU policies in the field of youth.The full project delivery and its’ outcomes will bring this ultimate objectives to success.

Cross sectoral cooperation requires proper supplementation of evidenced based policy development for youth that can mainstream youth participation in the public, business and educational sector. The challenge to bridge these gaps are essential to ensure that the youth is in the center of development initiatives and interventions. The need to promote strategic cooperation between youth organization and public bodies as well as private institutions such as businesses and education institution will require non-conventional approaches to build youth capacity are imminent. New forms of practical training schemes and simulation of real life cases in society through experiential learning is one of the key strategies that this project would like to use. The strategy will put young people themselves in the central position by giving them concrete tools to realize their projects, goals and consult certain solutions with policy-makers.Creating Synergies in the Fields of Education, Training and Youth The project is guided by two principal EU Council resolution: 2009/C 311/01 on a renewed framework for European cooperation in the youth field (2010-2018) specifically on topic of young people’s participation in and contribution to global processes of policy-making, implementation and follow-up and 2015/C 417/01 on a European Union Work Plan for Youth 2016-2018 specifically on cross-sectoral cooperation that will contribute in addressing the challenges and opportunities of the digital era for youth policy, youth work and young people.The project’s focus on strengthening the capacity of young people in evidenced based policy development through exposure on real global challenges, practical hands-on experiences and in-depth immersion of young people with young policy makers and business sectors representatives. Furthermore, the project would explore (a) what framework is needed for it to happen? (b) What are the available platforms and entry point for young people to get engaged with to strengthen their policy making skills? (c) What assistance or interventions are needed from the public and private sector to create an enabling environment for youth participation to be realized? (d) How international and global cooperation can aid the European level structured dialogue for young people on policy development? To realize the objectives of the project, the Youth Policy and Action project will organize intergenerational dialogue among policy makers, business leaders, youth worker and young people. The dialogue will be done in conjunction with the evidenced based policy development training to capacitate young people on proper policy development and negotiations. Finally, a youth mobility initiative in a form of job shadowing exercise will be done where youth workers can shadow elected youth policy makers and business leaders.