More than 300 needs assessments, over 25 social entrepreneurship case studies, 30 peer-learning connections and the first versions of a European training programme: during its first implementation year, YES moved from listening to young people to creating practical resources for their future.
During the first year of YES: Youth Engagement and Employability for Success through Social Entrepreneurship, the answer became increasingly clear. Across five European countries, young people, youth workers, volunteers and partner organisations worked together to identify the skills needed in a changing labour market, explore the potential of social entrepreneurship and create new learning opportunities based on real needs.
The project started in September 2025 with a clear objective: to help young people, particularly those who are not in education, employment or training and those facing fewer opportunities, strengthen their transversal and entrepreneurial skills. Instead of starting with a predefined training curriculum, YES adopted a bottom-up methodology based on listening, participation and co-creation.
By the end of the first implementation year, the partnership had:
- engaged more than 150 young people as active participants and agents of change;
- collected more than 300 assessments of young people’s transversal skills and youth workers’ upskilling and reskilling needs;
- organised three focus groups to explore young people’s experiences and priorities in greater depth;
- mapped more than 25 social entrepreneurship case studies;
- identified more than 11 essential competencies connected to employability and personal development;
- developed four practical activities and games dedicated to social entrepreneurship;
- created 30 learning connections through the YES Volunteering Hub.
These numbers represent young people who were invited to express what they need, volunteers who chose to share their knowledge and youth workers who contributed their experience to the design of more relevant educational resources.
Starting with a shared European vision
The first YES consortium meeting took place online during the final week of September 2025. It brought together six organisations with complementary expertise in youth work, employability, entrepreneurship, volunteering, community development, communication and non-formal education.
During the meeting, the partners aligned their understanding of the project, confirmed responsibilities and examined how the four work packages would connect. They also established the sequence linking research, training design, volunteering and practical implementation.
From the beginning, the partners agreed that the training programme could not be developed exclusively from institutional assumptions. It needed to reflect the realities of young people looking for employment, those considering an entrepreneurial pathway and the youth workers supporting them. The consortium therefore planned a common research process involving questionnaires, focus groups, case studies and direct consultation with the project’s target groups.
The project application defines this needs analysis as the foundation for the subsequent training and mentorship pathways. Its purpose is to gather both quantitative and qualitative evidence from young people and youth workers, ensuring that the YES programme is designed from the beneficiaries’ perspective.
Listening to young people and youth workers
The first major implementation phase focused on understanding which competencies young people need to access employment, navigate professional environments and turn ideas into initiatives with social value.
Two complementary assessment processes were developed. One focused on young people, particularly NEETs and young people with fewer opportunities, and explored the barriers they encounter when entering the labour market. The second examined the upskilling and reskilling needs of youth workers who support these groups.
More than 300 assessments were collected across the partner countries. The responses helped the consortium examine not only technical preparation for employment, but also broader transversal competencies that influence confidence, autonomy and the ability to collaborate.
The Romanian research coordinated through GEYC organised these competencies into three interconnected areas: personal, methodological and social competencies. It combined questionnaire data with participatory discussions and generated proposals for micro-trainings and community interventions based on the priorities expressed by young people themselves.
This was important because employability is not limited to writing a CV or finding a vacancy. Young people also need to communicate effectively, understand their strengths, manage tasks, work with others, make decisions and adapt to unfamiliar situations. For those interested in entrepreneurship, these abilities are equally necessary for transforming an initial idea into a realistic initiative.
Going beyond questionnaires through focus groups
Quantitative data offered an overview of recurring needs, but the focus groups provided space for participants to explain the experiences behind their answers.
Three focus groups were organised as part of the first-year research process. They explored how young people understand transversal skills, which competencies they consider most relevant and what prevents them from developing or demonstrating these abilities.
The discussions also helped the partners understand the relationship between confidence and competence. A participant may possess useful abilities but struggle to articulate them during an interview. Another may be highly creative but lack the project management or financial knowledge required to transform an idea into a structured initiative.
The project application anticipated this combination of questionnaires and focus groups specifically to connect statistical findings with young people’s lived experiences. The resulting evidence was then consolidated as the basis for the YES Training Programme.
Learning from more than 25 social enterprises
Alongside the needs analysis, the consortium collected more than 25 case studies illustrating how social entrepreneurship can respond to community challenges.
The partners looked for examples that could bring social entrepreneurship closer to young people. Rather than presenting it as an abstract business concept, the case studies showed how entrepreneurial tools can be used to address exclusion, unemployment, environmental challenges and gaps in local services.
The examples covered initiatives connected to areas such as the circular economy, sustainability, support for vulnerable groups, community development, job creation and social inclusion. The purpose was not to suggest that every participant should establish a company. Instead, the cases illustrated how entrepreneurial thinking can support initiative, creativity, resourcefulness and community participation.
The project application positioned these case studies as role models and learning resources for the future training programme. Particular attention was given to initiatives created by young people and to ventures generating social or environmental value, regardless of their size.
By analysing their development, the partnership could identify recurring factors such as:
- understanding a real community need;
- designing an appropriate response;
- mobilising people and resources;
- creating a sustainable operating model;
- communicating the initiative effectively;
- measuring social or environmental impact;
- adapting after receiving feedback.
The case studies therefore became more than inspirational stories. They provided concrete material that could be transformed into exercises, discussions and practical learning activities.
Bringing the partnership together in Bucharest
On 26 and 27 January 2026, representatives of the six partner organisations met in Bucharest for the first Transnational Project Meeting, hosted by GEYC.
The meeting marked the transition from research to training development. Partners reviewed the findings gathered through the needs assessments and focus groups, discussed the collected social entrepreneurship cases and established the roadmap for the next project phase.
The application had assigned the Bucharest meeting a strategic role: to discuss the results of the needs analysis, tailor the structure of the training programme, establish internal deadlines and strengthen cooperation among the organisations.
The meeting also gave the partners an opportunity to compare national contexts. Youth unemployment, access to learning opportunities and the realities of youth work differ between large cities, rural communities and regions affected by youth depopulation. Bringing these perspectives together helped the consortium avoid a one-size-fits-all approach.
The result was a clearer common direction for two interconnected educational components:
- the YES Training Programme for Youth Employment;
- the YES Training Programme for Social Aspiring Entrepreneurs.
Turning skills into peer-learning opportunities
One of the most practical first-year initiatives was the development of the YES Volunteering Hub, a mechanism connecting young people who wanted to share a skill with young people interested in learning it.
The concept was intentionally accessible. Young volunteers between 18 and 35 could offer one-hour micro-training sessions to small groups, generally consisting of three or four learners. Sessions could take place online or in person, making participation possible across different locations and personal circumstances.
The areas proposed for the micro-training sessions included:
- social media management for communication with social impact;
- leadership and team management;
- online and in-person networking;
- English for effective communication;
- CV writing and LinkedIn profile optimisation;
- preparation for job interviews;
- project management and creative problem-solving;
- professional communication and public speaking;
- financial empowerment and long-term planning;
- visual design for CVs, portfolios and presentations.
The format recognised that valuable knowledge does not flow in only one direction. A young person can be a learner in one field and a volunteer trainer in another. Someone seeking support with public speaking might, for example, share their own knowledge of visual design or social media.
During the first year, the Hub generated 30 connections between volunteers and learners. The participants’ feedback highlighted both sides of the experience:
“It was interesting and motivating to share my professional skills with a group of young women eager to learn!”
“It was amazing to see how quickly the participants understood and applied what they were learning.”
“I am grateful for this experience and I can’t wait to see how the programme develops!”
These exchanges demonstrate the potential of skills-based volunteering as a form of solidarity. It gives learners access to approachable educational experiences while helping volunteers practise facilitation, communication and leadership.
The long-term project concept is to develop this matching mechanism into a sustainable mentorship community connecting highly educated youth, young professionals, NEETs and young people with fewer opportunities.
From research findings to a practical training programme
After collecting and analysing the first-year evidence, the partnership began developing the two sections of the YES Training Programme.
GEYC took the leading role in the Youth Employment component, while Junior Achievement Malta led the component for Social Aspiring Entrepreneurs. Isola Catania supported both strands by contributing its expertise in social entrepreneurship and social impact.
The Youth Employment section was designed to provide youth workers with practical methods and resources that can help young people prepare for employment and become more autonomous in defining their professional paths.
The Social Aspiring Entrepreneurs section connects transversal skills with entrepreneurial knowledge. It introduces young people to approaches such as business planning, social impact assessment, financial cost management and innovative thinking.
The two sections are deliberately interconnected. The ability to communicate an idea, manage time, collaborate, use digital tools and present a convincing pitch is relevant both to employment and entrepreneurship. Similarly, entrepreneurial competencies such as initiative, problem-solving and resource management can strengthen a young person’s performance in almost any professional environment.
More than 11 key competencies were integrated into the developing framework, alongside four practical activities and game-based exercises dedicated to social entrepreneurship. The purpose was to make the programme usable in non-formal education settings and adaptable to groups with different levels of experience.
A partnership built on complementary expertise
YES is coordinated by Isola Catania, a social enterprise from Italy. The organisation coordinates the overall project and led the collection of social entrepreneurship case studies, while contributing expertise in social impact and entrepreneurial learning.
The partnership also includes:
Institute of Youth Power, Croatia, which led the needs analysis process and contributed its experience in youth participation, employability, inclusion and non-formal education.
Asociación Cultural Transeúnte, Spain, which leads the communication strategy, visual identity and social media coordination and developed the communication materials for the volunteering call.
GEYC, Romania, which hosted the first Transnational Project Meeting in Bucharest and leads the development of the Youth Employment section of the training programme.
Associazione Culturale Giovani Iddocca, Italy, which contributes expertise in rural youth work, volunteering, quality assurance and the evaluation of learning activities.
Junior Achievement Malta, which co-leads the training work package and coordinates the Social Aspiring Entrepreneurs component, bringing extensive experience in entrepreneurship and employment education.
Together, the six organisations connect communities in Italy, Romania, Spain, Croatia and Malta. The consortium structure brings together organisations working in major urban environments as well as rural and remote areas, allowing the project to reflect different barriers to employment, participation and entrepreneurial development. The complete partnership is set out in the original Erasmus+ application.
What comes next?
The first year created the evidence base, partnerships and initial educational content needed for the next stage of YES.
The training materials will be tested with youth workers and external organisations, after which the content will be revised based on their feedback. The final programme will subsequently be translated into Italian, Romanian, Spanish and Croatian and converted into accessible digital resources.
In 2027, the project will move towards the YES-Up Programme, a series of practical, in-person learning experiences in the partner countries. Participants will work on social and environmental challenges using tools such as the Business Model Canvas, Impact Gap Canvas and sustainable business models, culminating in the development and presentation of their own pitches.
The volunteering mechanism will also continue, creating new connections between young people who want to learn and those ready to share their competencies.
About YES
YES: Youth Engagement and Employability for Success through Social Entrepreneurship is a 24-month Erasmus+ Cooperation Partnership in the field of youth, implemented from September 2025 to August 2027.
The project promotes social innovation, sustainability and youth participation by equipping young people and youth workers with transversal competencies, employability tools and social entrepreneurship knowledge. Its activities particularly address NEETs, young people with fewer opportunities, youth workers, young social entrepreneurs and skilled volunteers.
YES is co-funded by the European Union under project number 2025-1-IT03-KA220-YOU-000363238.
YES is co-funded by the European Union under project number 2025-1-IT03-KA220-YOU-000363238.