The journey of the AmuNEET project comes to an end after 18 intense months. The Project, coordinated by CESIE ETS, allowed 24 young NEET sicilianə (3 groups of 8 people) to take part in a social empowerment experience of around 1,000 people within the ALMA programme, including a preparation phase with individual coaching and counselling sessions from April to June 2024, a work mobility experience in Portugal, Spain or Greece from June to December 2024, a follow-up phase from January to March 2025.
The follow-up phase saw the Project participants engaged in a number of activities aimed at capitalising on the personal and professional learning experience abroad, such as: experience evaluation sessions, financial and business start-up training, an English course aimed at taking a final exam to receive a certificate, individual and group work guidance sessions, and interviews with selected companies in the fields of interest of each participant.
At the end of the activities, on 27 March 2025, the final event of the project named “Youth and Their Future: Training and Job Opportunities Across Sicily and Europe” was held in Palermo, Italy. The event gathered approximately 150 participants, including unemployed youth, NEETs, and representatives from both private and public institutions.
The event began with a welcoming and registration session, followed by a conference which featured presentations on various topics about the situation of NEETs in Sicily, the ALMA Programme, job opportunities within the EU through the EURES network, and the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) opportunities available in Sicily.
Following the conference, an “Opportunities Fair” for youth people and companies was organed, with the participation of different local and regional organizations providing information on training and employment opportunities for young people. Participating organizations were; Centro per l’impiego di Palermo e Monreale, EUROMADONIE, SEND Sicilia, Euroform, EURES Sicilia, Europe Direct Palermo, Sicindustria, Centro Orientamento e Tutorato (COT) UNIPA, CESIE ETS, Centro per lo Sviluppo Creativo Danilo Dolci – ETS, LAND Impresa Sociale, Associazione I.D.E.A. and FINYOUTH.
A roundtable discussion was organised during the event, focusing on the causes and responsibilities associated with the NEET conditions in Sicily, with the participation of Giorgia Puleo, CEO Clean Sicily, Cinzia Cerroni, Rector’s delegate for the coordination of the University Orientation and Tutoring Centre (COT), University of Palermo, Federico Nuzzo, EPYC President (European Palermo Youth Center), Elena Milio, SEND Sicilia. The round table was moderated by Dario Ruvolo, Occupational Psychologist – D6 Social Health District Officer, with the active participation of the audiences. Finally, the event concluded with the live musical performances by emerging young artists from Palermo and region, providing a relaxed atmosphere for networking and socializing moments.
AmuNEET’s final event was the perfect conclusion to a journey full of success and satisfaction: we hope that this milestone will only be the first step in creating new networks of collaboration and opportunities for young Sicilians.
About AmuNEET
AmuNEET – Mobility against youth unemployment in Sicily is a project funded by the European Social Fund Agency of Lithuania (ESFA).
Partners
- CESIE (Italy, Coordinator)
- Associació Alba (Spain)
- KEA – Centre of research and development of Syros (Greece)
- APROXIMAR, Cooperativa de Solidariedade Social, CRL (Portugal)
- UNIPA- Dipartimento di Scienze Psicologiche, Pedagogiche, dell’Esercizio Fisico e della Formazione (Italy)
- EURES Sicilia (Italy)
- EUROMADONIE (Italy)
For further information
Read more about the project, visit https://amuneet.eu/ and follow us on Facebook and Instagram.
Contact Bala Ram Gaire: balaram.gaire@cesie.org.