YOUTH EMPOWERMENT FOR SOCIAL IMPACT

ERASMUS+ KA220-YOU-Cooperation Partnerships in Youth

Running dates: February 2025- February 2027

ID number: 2024-2-TR01-KA220-YOU-000284341

About the Project

Youth Empowerment for Social Impact (YES Impact) is a European initiative that places youth workers at the centre of the social entrepreneurship ecosystem. Working across Türkiye, Greece and Spain, the project develops practical training, mentoring resources and shared methodologies that help youth workers guide young people from promising ideas to sustainable social ventures. At the same time, it strengthens collaboration between organisations, researchers and policymakers to create more supportive environments for youth social entrepreneurship.

Building a new generation of youth entrepreneurship mentors

YES Impact aims to strengthen the capacity of youth workers to become mentors, facilitators and changemakers. Through a structured Training of Trainers (ToT) programme, participants will develop the knowledge, practical tools and mentoring skills needed to guide young people in creating sustainable social enterprises that generate both social and economic value.

Creating a shared European framework for youth social entrepreneurship

Partners from Türkiye, Greece and Spain are working together to analyse existing approaches, identify successful practices and co-design a common methodology that can be adapted to different national contexts. The project combines research, benchmarking and practical experience to create a transferable support model for youth workers across Europe.

Strengthening the ecosystem around young social entrepreneurs

Beyond training individuals, YES Impact aims to engage youth organisations, public authorities, academia and policymakers to improve the conditions in which young social entrepreneurs can grow. Through policy dialogue and evidence-based recommendations, the project seeks to strengthen national and European support systems for youth social entrepreneurship.

European Benchmark Report

A comparative analysis of youth social entrepreneurship ecosystems in Türkiye, Greece and Spain, identifying existing support mechanisms, challenges and good practices that will inform all subsequent project activities.

Training of Trainers Programme

A comprehensive international curriculum designed for youth workers, combining social entrepreneurship, mentoring methodologies, non-formal education, financial sustainability, leadership and practical facilitation techniques. The programme is developed collaboratively by the consortium and will prepare a cohort of youth workers capable of supporting future generations of social entrepreneurs.

European Support Framework for Youth Social Entrepreneurship

A practical handbook providing methodologies, mentoring tools, learning activities and guidance to help youth workers accompany young entrepreneurs from the initial idea to the development of impactful social ventures. The handbook will be available in digital and multimedia formats and translated into all consortium languages to maximise accessibility and long-term use.

Youth Social Entrepreneurship Camp

An international learning experience bringing together young people from the partner countries to collaborate, test ideas, develop social business models and receive mentoring from trained youth workers and experts (to be held in Türkiye). The camp will serve as a living laboratory where project methodologies are tested, refined and validated.

Policy Recommendations

A set of evidence-based recommendations developed through research, stakeholder consultation and international cooperation to help policymakers create more enabling environments for youth social entrepreneurship across Europe.

Youth Workers

Youth workers, trainers, mentors and professionals working with young people will strengthen their competences in social entrepreneurship, mentoring and non-formal education, enabling them to better support young people in developing impactful social ventures.

Young Social Entrepreneurs (18–30)

Young people with entrepreneurial ideas and a desire to create positive social change will benefit from mentoring, practical learning opportunities, networking and the international Youth Social Entrepreneurship Camp, helping them transform ideas into sustainable initiatives.

Youth Organisations & NGOs

Organisations working in youth, education and social innovation will gain access to new methodologies, training resources and a European network of partners committed to strengthening youth social entrepreneurship ecosystems.

Policymakers & Ecosystem Stakeholders

Public authorities, educational institutions, social enterprises and researchers will benefit from evidence-based recommendations, comparative research and practical insights to strengthen policies and support mechanisms for youth social entrepreneurship.

Across Europe, young people are increasingly driven to create businesses that generate positive social and environmental impact. Yet turning an idea into a sustainable social enterprise requires more than motivation, it requires guidance, practical skills and supportive ecosystems.

Youth workers play a crucial role in this journey. As mentors, educators and community facilitators, they are often the first point of support for young people. However, many lack specialised training, practical tools and methodologies to effectively accompany aspiring social entrepreneurs.

YES Impact was created to bridge this gap by strengthening the capacity of youth workers and building a more connected European ecosystem for youth social entrepreneurship.

Under development.