KICK

Pilot Runner: THRYVES

This Open Pilot, hosted by THRYVES, focuses on KICK: Digital Confidence for Creative Entrepreneurs. The pilot supports creative professionals and solo entrepreneurs to use digital tools more confidently, ethically and creatively in their everyday work. It is especially relevant for people independently managing their own creative businesses or practices in areas such as design, crafts, visual arts, food, photography, wellness and handmade products.

The pilot creates a short, practical and supportive learning journey for creative entrepreneurs who may feel overwhelmed by digital tools or uncertain about AI. Rather than treating digital competence as technical expertise alone, KICK frames it as a form of digital agency: the ability to choose, use and question tools in ways that support creative independence, visibility and values.

Aims of the pilot

The pilot aims to equip creative entrepreneurs with essential digital skills so they can confidently select and apply digital tools in their creative work. It focuses on strengthening their ability to work with design and AI tools, manage their digital identity, and co-create digital content with others.

The CYANOTYPES Framework is used to structure the pilot around clearly defined, future-relevant digital competences that are ethical, practical, creative and aligned with the real needs of entrepreneurs. The pilot focuses on four CYANOTYPES competences from the Data-Driven Agency Cluster:

C1 – Data and Digital Literacy
C3 – Digital Self-Determination
C4 – Creatively Using Digital Technology
C5 – Digital Content Co-Creation

Expected outcomes include increased digital confidence, the ability to apply AI and digital tools in real projects, stronger ethical awareness around digital identity and online presence, one co-created digital project, one individual portfolio piece, and feedback on how these competences can be taught in short, intensive programmes.  

Activities undertaken

KICK is designed as a six-week learning journey for 10–12 participants. Activities include weekly in-person workshops, hands-on tool exploration, AI and automation experimentation, visual design activities, digital workflow mapping, personal content creation, peer feedback, co-creation of a group digital product, and guided journaling and reflection aligned with the selected CYANOTYPES competences.

The weekly structure moves from a kickoff and digital audit, to digital communication and workflows, an AI and visual content sprint, voice, values and ethics, a co-creation lab, and finally a showcase and feedback session. This gives participants a clear progression from understanding their current digital situation to testing tools, producing content, reflecting on values and sharing outcomes.

The learning approach is hands-on, inclusive and context-driven. THRYVES works with a diverse community of creative entrepreneurs who value practical tools, peer learning and emotional safety. The pilot deliberately avoids technical jargon, uses low-barrier tools, and focuses on what is realistic for micro and small entrepreneurs.

Outcomes and early learning

The pilot is expected to produce directly useful outputs for participants, including visual stories, workflows, content campaigns, group digital products and individual portfolio pieces. These outputs are designed to be immediately applicable to participants’ creative businesses or practices.

For THRYVES, the pilot offers a framework that fits its work with migrant, solo and purpose-driven professionals more closely than traditional entrepreneurship models. It provides a language and structure for short, focused programmes that combine digital skills, creative thinking and ethical reflection.

At ecosystem level, KICK aims to support creative professionals in Eindhoven who are often left out of mainstream digital skills programmes. Many feel disconnected from fast-moving tech trends or overwhelmed by tools that do not reflect their values or ways of working. The pilot responds by creating an accessible space to build confidence, test tools and collaborate with others.

Adding value

The pilot is valuable because it challenges narrow ideas of who counts as “digitally competent.” Its strength lies in shifting the focus from tool-based expertise to values-based digital agency, especially for migrants, women and solo creatives who may be excluded from mainstream technology initiatives. It also recognises that confidence, emotional safety and self-direction are not secondary to digital learning; they are part of what makes digital participation possible. 

Possible policy recommendations

This pilot suggests that policy makers, local authorities and entrepreneurship support organisations should invest in inclusive digital skills programmes for creative micro-entrepreneurs. Digital transition policy often assumes that entrepreneurs simply need access to tools or technical training, but KICK shows that many creative professionals also need confidence-building, ethical reflection, peer support and learning formats that respect their values and working realities.

Policy support could focus on funding short, accessible digital agency programmes for solo and migrant creative entrepreneurs, supporting ethical AI and digital identity training, and recognising creative hubs as important places for digital inclusion. The pilot also points to the value of iterative rather than rapid scaling: local digital skills work becomes stronger when programmes are tested, adapted and shared through trusted creative communities.

Website: https://thryves.nl/