YouthStart is a network of thought leaders that inspires young people through Entrepreneurship
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Our strong network makes us successful
Fostering entrepreneurial minded young people is a joint effort among (currently) 16 partnering organisations across Europe: YEA! (Albania), IFTE (Austria), Youth Start Belgium (Belgium), Youth Smart Start (Bulgaria), NFTE Germany (Germany), IKSZE (Hungary), FORÓIGE (Ireland), ICEI (Italy), Ministry of Education, Children and Youth (Luxembourg), ONE WORLDcitizens (Netherlands), VEZ (North-Macedonia), General Direction of Education (Portugal), Ministry of Education, Science and Sport (Slovenia), la Caixa (Spain), Initiative for Entrepreneurship Education in TVET (Switzerland) and the Henry Ford Foundation (USA) as an associated partner.
current & future network members agree on:
Fairness as core principle
Focus on Entrepreneurship
Non profit organisation
Having (or being in the process of establishing) an entrepreneurship program for the youth in their respective country.
Mutual learning where established partners learn fresh approaches from new members and new entries learn from the experience of existing members.
Our aim is to strengthen our network, follow a shared vision & values as well as to promote growth within Europe but also on a global level.
Regular networking events
At the core of our activities, students from all network countries participate in an annual entrepreneurship competition. They qualify by winning entrepreneurial competitions on a national level.
Every year the European Network for Entrepreneurship grants the 'Youth Start European Entrepreneurship Award'.
The 'Youth Start European Entrepreneurship Award' is awarded in the categories '(Social) Business Idea' and 'Real Market'.
Entrepreneurial education & training are key
Local areas of focus
Entrepreneurship covers a lot of areas. Starting a company is just one example. In a broader context it is about enabling positive participation in our society. There are several paths to foster an active community of entrepreneurs.
Each member has a specific area of focus. This allows us to work on our country specific challenges and exchange best practices in our network to learn from each other.
Our ambassadors, partners & supporters
European Partners
Our European partners share the same vision and values with us and support our network’s European activities. They are companies, initiatives, foundations and individuals, helping us to reach our goals with their expertise, financing and support. We believe in creating strong networks and inspiring partnerships to inspire young people.
Thanks to the support we are receiving from our current European partners, we are able to coordinate our European acitivites and thrive for our mission!
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Our Mission
Our mission is to provide programs that inspire young people to think and act in an entrepreneurial manner, to recognise business and societal opportunities and to plan for successful futures. We operate on a European level and cooperate with stakeholders in order to be successful.
Our Vision
We acknowledge that we live in a complex unpredictable world and want to prepare the next generation for it. We want to broaden the awareness of our youth and highlight that their actions make a difference and that challenges can be turned into opportunities by entrepreneurial minded approaches.