Month: February 2026

As the EPIC (Entrepreneurial Citizenship for Social Change) project officially concludes this month, it marks a significant milestone in empowering the next generation of social entrepreneurs in the Western Balkans. Supported by the European Union, the project has successfully transformed the landscape for youth organizations and young changemakers in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Kosovo.

The EPIC project recognized the potential of young people to drive positive social transformation. By aligning with the EU’s perspective on social enterprises, the project addressed critical issues such as youth unemployment and community development. The core mission was to help youth identify social challenges and provide them with the guidance and technical skills to transform innovative ideas into sustainable businesses.

A cornerstone of the EPIC project was the creation of a robust suite of educational materials designed to bridge the gap between social intent and entrepreneurial action. These resources were methodically developed, piloted, and refined across Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Kosovo to ensure they met the specific needs of the Western Balkans.

• The EPIC Training Curriculum on Social Entrepreneurship: This foundational curriculum provides a comprehensive framework for strengthening the entrepreneurial capacities of youth. It covers six core modules—ranging from an introduction to social entrepreneurship to financial sustainability and social value measurement—equipping participants with a complete mindset and skill set for impact-driven action.
  
• Toolkit for Youth Workers: Designed for educators, professionals, and youth organization representatives, this resource offers practical guidelines and strategies to effectively mentor and counsel aspiring social entrepreneurs.
  
• Toolkit for Youth: This hands-on resource provides young people with step-by-step guidance for designing, developing, and managing their own social ventures, transforming abstract ideas into actionable business models.

In addition, throughout its journey, the EPIC project delivered a series of high-impact activities:

• In May 2025, a dynamic workshop and study visit were held in Athens, Greece, bringing together 15 youth workers from Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina, and Kosovo. This session equipped them with the necessary skills and methodologies to transfer their knowledge back to their local communities.
  
• To validate these resources, a series of pilot workshops and local training sessions were conducted, directly engaging 60 youth workers and 60 young people. These sessions translated the EPIC Curriculum and the EPIC Toolkits into practice, ensuring the materials were relevant to the specific social and economic contexts of the Western Balkans.
  
• The project culminated in three regional Hackathons held between December 2025 and January 2026, engaging 90 young innovators. These events served as incubators for 24 teams, producing diverse projects ranging from AI-driven e-waste repair to circular economy models for food waste.

The project successfully cultivated a culture of innovation, with many participants reporting increased confidence and technical competence in design thinking, budgeting, and pitching. One of the most significant achievements was shifting the regional perception of social entrepreneurship from simple philanthropy to a viable, sustainable business model.

The EPIC project is committed to ensuring its legacy continues beyond its official end date. All educational materials, including the EPIC Training Curriculum, the Toolkit for Youth Workers, and the Toolkit for Youth, are now available as open-access resources.

Young people, aspiring entrepreneurs, youth workers, trainers and educators, as well as other stakeholders, can freely access these tools to continue driving social change in their communities.

Discover the full suite of resources on the official EPIC website: https://epic-project.eu/

Between December 2025 and January 2026, the EPIC project (Entrepreneurial Citizenship for Social Change) successfully concluded a series of three dynamic National Hackathons across Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina, and Kosovo. These intensive two-day events served as incubators for innovative social business ideas designed to tackle local community challenges.

The primary mission of the hackathons was to inspire and empower young people to think and act as social entrepreneurs. Key objectives included:

• Encouraging youth to identify pressing local social issues.
• Equipping participants with practical skills in Design Thinking, business modeling, and pitching.
• Developing innovative, feasible, and sustainable solutions with a measurable social impact.
  
  The Hackathon events were implemented in:
• Tirana, Albania: 12-13 December 2025, hosted by People in Focus (PIF) at Europe House.
• Sarajevo, Bosnia & Herzegovina: 20-21 December 2025, hosted by Sarajevo Meeting of Cultures (SMOC).
• Pristina, Kosovo: 10-11 January 2026, hosted by Peer Educators Network (PEN).
  
  The initiative successfully engaged over 100 stakeholders across the three countries, including a total of 90 young participants, 9 youth workers/educators and approximately 19 expert mentors and jury members from various sectors like academia, ministries, and private businesses.
  Each hackathon followed a structured, hands-on programme. Day 1 of the Hackathons was for “Ideation & Foundation”. Participants engaged in workshops on social entrepreneurship basics, stakeholder mapping, and problem identification. Day 2 was for “Refinement & Pitching”. Teams worked closely with mentors to develop Business Model Canvases, plan budgets, and refine their “micro-solutions” before pitching to a professional jury.
  
  A total of 24 teams were formed regionally, resulting in a wide array of social enterprise concepts. Winning teams from each country were selected to receive further mentoring and the opportunity to present at the EPIC Final Conference.
  
• Albania: Winner PIKA, an accessibility platform for the visually impaired.
• Bosnia & Herzegovina: Winner Inner Peace, a holistic mental health support concept.
• Kosovo: Equal winners RECLAIM (circular food waste model) and RE-TECH (AI-driven e-waste repair).
  
  Beyond skill-building, the hackathons served as a powerful catalyst for youth empowerment, effectively transforming initial self-doubt into entrepreneurial confidence. Participants achieved significant growth in core competencies, most notably in teamwork, analytical thinking, and creative problem-solving.
  
  Evaluations of the events reflected exceptionally high satisfaction rates across the region, with the quality of expert mentorship identified by participants as a standout feature in both Bosnia & Herzegovina and in Kosovo.
  
  The project concluded that while youth are highly motivated to create social change, there is a strong regional demand for ongoing incubation and mentorship beyond the initial events to help turn these prototypes into real-world sustainable businesses.

More information about the project is available at: https://epic-project.eu/