🌱 Empowering Youth Through Recycling and E-Entrepreneurship: Highlights from the RE4YOU Project

By Sibel ŞANCI | EPALE Contributor | May 2025

In a world where environmental sustainability and youth unemployment are two pressing concerns, the RE4YOU project brings a fresh and meaningful solution. Funded under the Erasmus+ framework, RE4YOU is more than just an educational initiative—it’s a dynamic platform that transforms waste into opportunity and young people into changemakers.

🌍 A Vision for Sustainable Youth Entrepreneurship

Modern consumerism has contributed to increasing levels of waste, yet within this challenge lies a powerful opportunity. RE4YOU harnesses the power of recycling, digital tools, and creative expression to equip young people with the skills needed to launch eco-friendly businesses.

The project focuses on:

• Teaching young people to turn waste materials into marketable products
• Guiding them to promote and sell their creations via social media and e-commerce platforms
• Providing structured e-entrepreneurship training for long-term skills development
• Creating a transnational network for collaboration and greater market reach

🇸🇪 The Journey Begins in Sweden

The RE4YOU initiative officially kicked off in March 2024 in Halmstad, Sweden, where partners from Sweden, Latvia, and Turkey came together to lay the groundwork. This collaborative event was a melting pot of ideas, planning sessions, and shared vision.

Key outcomes included:

• Establishing project goals aligned with sustainability and youth development
• Designing training materials focused on recycled product design and online sales
• Planning an interactive online platform to host resources and showcase youth creations
• Strategizing social media and e-commerce training pathways

🇹🇷 Creativity Meets Culture in Turkey

In May 2024, the second partner meeting was hosted in Nazilli, Turkey. This event combined cultural immersion with hands-on workshops in recycled art. From bracelet-making and candle holders to full-scale exhibits, young participants experienced the tangible transformation of waste into beauty.

These workshops didn’t just foster creativity—they built confidence, collaboration, and a sense of environmental responsibility.

💻 Digital Learning for a Digital Generation

In September 2024, the RE4YOU project took a leap into the virtual space with an online Learning, Teaching, and Training Activity (LTTA) hosted by MIHI (Latvia). Over three days, participants from Latvia, Turkey, Sweden, and Kenya engaged in a deep dive into social commerce.

Led by expert trainer Ayat Elsayad, sessions included:

• Understanding the fundamentals of social commerce
• Conducting market analysis and identifying audience needs
• Using platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Pinterest for sales
• Learning from real-world success stories in digital entrepreneurship

🌟 Looking Ahead

RE4YOU is more than a project—it’s a movement that connects youth across borders, empowers them with skills, and inspires sustainable innovation. As the training platform launches and new participants join, the ripple effects of this initiative are bound to grow.

If you're an educator, policymaker, or young entrepreneur looking to blend sustainability with digital innovation, RE4YOU is a blueprint worth exploring.

🔗 Learn more and explore the project at: https://re4you.my.canva.site/re4youJoin the movement. Transform waste. Empower youth.