YouthStart is a network of thought leaders that inspires young people through Entrepreneurship

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)

• Almse Academy (Bavaria)

• Youth Start Belgium (Belgium)

• Youth Smart Start (Bulgaria)

• NFTE Germany (Germany)

• 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)

• Zentrum für Unternehmerisches Denken und Handeln (Switzerland)

• Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (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 Award is awarded in three categories:

• "Idea Challenge" (a business model for a business or non-profit project),

• "Real Market Challenge" (real activities, based on a business plan) and

• "We grow together" (cooperative approaches to projects).

The special prize "European Climate Impact Award" is awarded every year.

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 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!