DEMYST – Project Overview (KA210-YOU)
DEMYST
Digital Entrepreneurship & Micro Youth Startups
We help young people turn ideas into their first real steps in the digital economy — through practical, inclusive and hands-on learning.
DEMYST (Digital Entrepreneurship & Micro Youth Startups) is a two-year Erasmus+ small-scale partnership bringing together three youth organisations from Slovakia, Italy and Austria, with IKReON as coordinator. Together we build the skills of youth workers and young people so that more young people — especially those with fewer opportunities — can explore and launch micro start-ups. We train our teams first, then co-create, test and adopt a shared, ready-to-run method.
Erasmus+ KA210-YOU · Project no. 2025-2-SK02-KA210-YOU-000369692 · January 2026 – December 2027
Action: KA210-YOU
Jan 2026 – Dec 2027 (24 months)
Coordinator: IKReON (SK)
3 Partners · 3 Countries
About the Project
Across Slovakia, Italy and Austria, many young people want to try a business idea in the digital economy — but too often there is no clear, practical way to move from intention to action. At the same time, youth organisations lack steady, ready-to-run methods and the time to build them.
DEMYST answers this by building the system first. We train youth workers, then co-create and test a set of short, inclusive workshops covering the basics of digital entrepreneurship — from spotting a real problem to testing a simple idea online and staying safe while doing it. Everything is designed to be low-cost, repeatable and easy for small teams to keep using after the project ends.
General Objective
DEMYST’s overall aim is to help three youth organisations open practical, inclusive pathways into digital entrepreneurship — so that more young people aged 18–25, especially those with fewer opportunities, can turn ideas into real first steps, gain confidence, and take an active part in their communities.
Specific Objectives
Train the Trainers
Build a shared, inclusive method and train at least 45 youth workers across the three countries to deliver it with confidence.
Co-create the Toolkit
Co-create and test a six-module Toolkit of short, ready-to-run workshops — published openly in English, Slovak, Italian and German.
Deliver with Young People
Run two workshop cycles per country, reaching at least 60 young people, with mentoring and Youthpass recognition for everyone.
Reach Fewer-Opportunities Youth
Make sure at least half of participants are young people with fewer opportunities, with accessibility and inclusion built into every session.
Embed and Sustain
Help each partner adopt at least one DEMYST module and keep a Community of Practice running well beyond the project.
Give Young People a Voice
Support youth-led micro actions and three demo days that connect young people with mentors and local stakeholders.
How the Project Works
A monthly Community of Practice and light, shared routines keep quality high across all four work packages.
What We’re Building
The DEMYST Toolkit
Six ready-to-run workshop modules with one-page storyboards, published openly in four languages.
Training of Trainers
A shared programme that prepares youth workers to facilitate, mentor and include — in every partner country.
Community of Practice
A peer network of youth workers and experts that keeps improving the method and supporting delivery.
Demo Days & Youth Actions
Three demo days and youth-led micro actions that connect young people with mentors and local opportunities.
The six modules: Problem Discovery · Simple Value Proposition · Micro-budgeting & Pricing · Minimum Viable Product (MVP) · E-commerce Starters · Online Safety & Digital Trust.
The DEMYST Toolkit is being co-created and tested with young people. It will be published here — free and open — as it takes shape.
Targets at a Glance
Our targets across the partnership for 2026–2027.
45+ Youth Workers Trained
60+ Young People
6-Module Toolkit
3 Demo Days
Expected Impact
For Young People
Practical digital and entrepreneurial skills, mentoring, Youthpass recognition, and the confidence to take a real first step.
For Youth Organisations
A ready-to-run, inclusive method, trained staff, and a Community of Practice that keeps quality high long after the project.
At European Level
An open, transferable model for inclusive youth entrepreneurship, shared across Europe through the Toolkit and Erasmus+ platforms.
The Consortium
Three youth organisations from three countries bring together expertise in coordination and digital facilitation, entrepreneurial training, and inclusion.
IKReON (Slovakia)
Based in Ružomberok, IKReON coordinates DEMYST and leads project management (WP1) and the co-creation, pilots and inclusive delivery work (WP3). It also runs the project’s Community of Practice, and contributes experience in non-formal education, inclusive digital learning and entrepreneurship.
Pro.M.E.T.EU.S. (Italy)
A cultural non-profit in Viterbo, Pro.M.E.T.EU.S. leads capacity building and the Training of Trainers (WP2), and owns the shared method — storyboard template, trainer pack and quality checklist. It brings deep experience in youth entrepreneurship and non-formal learning.
AFIS (Austria)
Based in Vienna, the Austrian Forum for Integration and Sustainability (AFIS) leads uptake, demo days and dissemination (WP4), including stakeholder engagement and evaluation. It specialises in inclusion, financial literacy and support for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds.
IKReON’s Role in DEMYST
As coordinator, IKReON keeps DEMYST on track — managing the partnership, quality and reporting, and running the monthly Community of Practice. We lead the pilot delivery and workshop cycles here in Slovakia, and we share the project’s story on this website. Alongside this, we contribute our experience in non-formal education, inclusive digital learning and entrepreneurship to the partnership.
News & Stories from DEMYST
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Get Involved
Want to collaborate, host a workshop, or partner with us on DEMYST? We would love to hear from you. You can also follow the project on social media, launching soon.
Co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the Slovak National Agency (National Institute for Education and Youth). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them. Project no. 2025-2-SK02-KA210-YOU-000369692.
