Below is a list and description of SPARK Partner Services. Click on the link to read more about a listed service.
Training Modules for Local Nonprofit Organisations
Summer/Winter University
SPARK supports and facilitates young entrepreneurs, but does not just focus on the individual. SPARK also aims at the reinforcement and capacity building of local economic and educational organisations and institutions. Eventually, local partners need to be able to offer the SPARK Solutions & Services themselves to the entrepreneurs.
SPARK works closely with a wide range of local partners including chambers of commerce, universities, vocational schools, governments (both local and foreign), business institutions and civil society organisations – to build cooperative, locally-sustainable networks of support for promising entrepreneurs.
To stimulate the sustainability of the local partners, SPARK strengthens their capacities in order to be able to continue activities aimed to support young entrepreneurs and to improve the social-economic position of youth in post-conflict regions. Several modules of training enable local partners to run their organisations more effectively, also financially, apply results based management, build networks, improve their communication and develop their primary processes which focus on supporting and facilitating young entrepreneurs.
This SPARK Service consists of 5 training modules:
Organising Summer – and Winter – Universities in the Balkan region is where it all began for SPARK in the mid-nineties. SPARK continues to do so today and enables its local partners to organise summer and winter university programmes as well. Bringing together hundreds of international and local students, professors and university representatives to attend and teach a wide range of courses during one or two weeks. These intense weeks are programmed with classes, workshops, guest lectures, debates, film nights, excursions – and a night out.
By organising Summer Universities SPARK aims to contribute to the improvement of education in post-conflict regions and to support long-term regional and international academic cooperation. By doing so SPARK wants to support youth exploring new (economic) opportunities in their often shattered societies. The courses are taught by international and local professors – together – and vary from Economics and Business, Environmental Protection and Medicine to Engineering, Cultural Heritage, Conflict and Diplomacy. In these programmes special attention is devoted to the inclusion of minorities.