EN 
LV Strengthening leadership skills within the YouCooperate project
In previous YouCooperate project events, cooperative representatives have consistently emphasized the importance of leadership skills in the development of cooperatives. These skills are vital to creating a competitive agricultural cooperative. Therefore, upon the conclusion of the project, on December 14 and 15, the Farmers' Saeima organized an event for young farmers called "Leadership School".
On Tuesday, the event was opened by Maira Dzelzkalēja – Burmistre, Deputy Chairperson of the Farmers' Saeima Board, introducing the participants to the essence of the event and emphasizing the importance of training events, adding that the leaders of the Farmers' Saeima have also honed their skills in similar events. In the introduction, Dārta Gātere introduced the YouCooperate Project and the resources developed within it, which are available to anyone interested and provide basic knowledge in the development of cooperatives. Then, Valters Zelčs, a policy expert at the Farmers' Saeima, introduced the young farmers to the current events that await farmers in the short and medium term, guided by the goals of agricultural policy.
In the educational part of the day, lecturer Dace Briede Zālīte, founder and head of the Youth Academy "Lift the World", explained the importance of individual values in business and cooperation, taught how to evaluate one's values, comparing them with each other, and take them into account when planning work and setting goals.
In the second part of the day, the lecturer invited participants to reflect on the way they define goals, explaining the innovations in the SMART approach. This was followed by practical knowledge reinforcement, working in groups to define structured plans for solving three problems in the agricultural sector. The practical part was concluded with presentations and discussions, as well as conclusions from the educational part.
The day ended with a joint dinner and further acquaintance.
The second day of the event was introduced by an analysis of the importance of personality types, explaining how to collaborate more effectively, taking into account personal characteristics and various everyday situations. On this day, the young leaders also worked in groups, emphasizing the importance of different leadership skills in running a company.
At the end of the event, time was allocated for individual consultations with the instructor and mutual discussions.
