Académie Younus

What Académie Younus does

Académie Younus is a French non-profit association (association loi 1901) founded in 2012 by Abdoulaye Ndiaye, a former professional basketball player, and headquartered in Bordeaux. Its mission is to give every young person the opportunity to become a fulfilled, autonomous, and civically engaged adult. The organization delivers a portfolio of five core programs that combine sports practice with educational support and socio-professional insertion: Sport & Éducation (ages 6–18), Sport & Insertion (NEET youth ages 16–25), Basketball & Éducation (delivered in partnership with USG Tremplin Basket in Grigny and JCM Basket in Le Mans), Younus au Féminin (women 18+ in Grand Parc, Bordeaux), and Younus Sénégal (children 6–12 at École élémentaire Talla Diagne de Yoff, Dakar). Programs are offered free of charge to beneficiaries and span homework help, exam preparation, cultural outings, sports (boxing, fitness, basketball, volleyball, surfing, climbing, sailing, hiking), CV/interview coaching, digital skills, and environmental awareness. The organization supplements these with seasonal Younus Camp vacation programs and the annual Les Olympiades des Entreprises corporate fundraising event.

Académie Younus operates three French antennas (Bordeaux since 2012, Grigny since 2017, Le Mans since September 2024) plus an international coordinator in Dakar, and runs with a team of approximately 50 employees and volunteers supported by Service Civique. It is not a technology company: there is no proprietary platform, no app, no API, and no disclosed AI capability — its core "technology" is the sports-pedagogy + socio-educational methodology codified across programs. The business model is grant- and donation-funded rather than fee-based; services are provided at no cost to participants. The organization is governed by a Conseil d'Administration led by President Jean-Pascal Simard, with founder Abdoulaye Ndiaye retaining operational control as Fondateur & Directeur. It was named a 2022 laureate of Fondation La France s'Engage.

Revenue mechanics are diversified across three streams: (i) institutional grants and public funding (European Social Fund / FSE+, Ville de Bordeaux, Région Nouvelle Aquitaine, CAF, Bordeaux Métropole, Préfecture de la Gironde), with two disclosed program budgets of €182,726.24 (Sport & Insertion, Sept 2023–Dec 2024) and €252,230.44 (Sport & Éducation, Sept 2024–Aug 2025); (ii) donations via Helloasso and direct contact; and (iii) corporate event-driven fundraising, principally through Les Olympiades des Entreprises. The partner ecosystem exceeds 50 institutional and corporate supporters, including Société Générale, BNP Paribas, Crédit Agricole, EDF Fondation, Harmonie Mutuelle, Château Palmer, Lions Club, Mission Locale Bordeaux, Université de Bordeaux, UBB Rugby, and Aquitanis. Reported impact includes 30 NEET youth accompanied and 24 positive outcomes (18 in training, 6 in sustainable employment) on the FSE-funded Sport & Insertion program, and more than 1,000 total beneficiaries across all programs and locations.

Name

Académie Younus

Legal name

Académie Younus

Website

https://academie-younus.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Académie Younus is a French non-profit association founded in 2012 in Bordeaux that uses sports as a vehicle to deliver educational support, socio-professional insertion, and personal development programs to over 1,000 youth, NEETs, and women across three French antennas and one international program in Senegal.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Sports Education and Socio-Professional Insertion Services

NAICS

Sports and Recreation Instruction (61162)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Amateur & Grassroots Sport Associations (Community/Youth Governing Orgs) (MPAKAFAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Sports & Recreation Lessons (Surfing, Skiing, Golf, Tennis) (THAJAKAN)

Keywords

• Youth sports education
• Socio-professional insertion
• Community youth programs
• After-school sports pedagogy
• Non-profit association services

Headquarters

HQ city

Bordeaux

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Institutional Grants & Public Funding: Primary funding from public institutions including European funds (FSE), regional councils, municipal governments, and national agencies supporting youth, sports, education, and social insertion programs.
2. Donations: Individual and corporate donations accepted via Helloasso platform and direct contact for material donations. Recurring and one-time donation options available.
3. Corporate Events & Fundraising: Les Olympiades des Entreprises event generates funds through corporate participation fees and donations, supporting operational costs and development.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Académie Younus delivers free sports-based education, academic support, and professional insertion programs to youth and women in priority urban neighborhoods (QPVs) of France and Senegal. Through five specialized programs (Sport & Éducation, Sport & Insertion, Basketball & Éducation, Younus au Féminin, Younus Sénégal) plus seasonal Younus Camps and the annual Olympiades des Entreprises event, the association combines sports practice, tutoring, cultural outings, and socio-professional workshops to support over 1,000 beneficiaries across three French antennas and one international antenna in Dakar.

Product overview

Académie Younus operates as a unified multi-program sports, education, and insertion organization offering five distinct but complementary programs: Sport & Éducation (ages 6-18), Sport & Insertion (ages 16-25), Basketball & Éducation (with partner clubs), Younus au Féminin (women's program), and Younus Sénégal (international program in Dakar). The organization supplements these core programs with seasonal Younus Camp vacation activities and the annual Olympiades des Entreprises fundraising event. All programs share a common denominator of sports learning, practice, and personal development combined with educational support, serving over 1,000 beneficiaries across three locations in France plus an international antenna in Dakar.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sport & Éducation Core program for youth aged 6-18 combining academic support (homework help, tutoring), cultural activities (museum visits, theater), and varied sports (team sports such as basketball and volleyball; individual sports such as surfing, climbing, tennis) to foster academic success and personal development. Free of charge to beneficiaries in Bordeaux, Grigny, and Le Mans.
• Sport & Insertion Program for disengaged youth aged 16-25 without employment or qualifications, using sports (boxing, fitness, sailing, hiking, skiing) to engage participants while providing individual support (CV writing, interview preparation) and collective workshops (job search, personal development, digital skills, entrepreneurship) for durable professional integration. Co-financed by the European Social Fund (€109,634.24 contribution against a €182,726.24 total program budget, Sept 2023 - Dec 2024).
• Basketball & Éducation Program for young basketball club licensees providing a complete educational pathway including daily homework help, exam preparation, educational activities (reading, digital skills, chess, journalism), citizenship education, and basketball training, delivered in partnership with USG Tremplin Basket (Grigny) and JCM Basket (Le Mans).
• Younus au Féminin Program for women aged 18+ based in the Grand Parc neighborhood of Bordeaux, combining weekly sports sessions (Nordic walking, fitness, aqua-bike) with thematic workshops on education, digital skills, and parenting, plus cultural outings to support physical well-being and socio-professional insertion.
• Younus Sénégal International program contributing to the physical, psychological, and intellectual development of children aged 6-12 enrolled at the Talla Diagne public elementary school in Yoff, Dakar (Senegal), including academic support, digital workshops, chess initiation, weekly sports training, and environmental awareness activities.
• Younus Camp Vacation camp program offered during school breaks at the Bordeaux and Grigny locations, providing academic support, creative workshops, cultural outings, and extensive sports activities including boxing, ice skating, and nature excursions for primary, middle, and high school students.
• Les Olympiades des Entreprises Annual flagship sporting event bringing together academicians, partners, team members, and aspiring athletes for a day of sports, team building, and fundraising to support Académie Younus operations and development; corporate participation fees and donations fund association operations.

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.

• Service CiviquecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational volunteering program hosting 8-12 month volunteers who support associative activities and gain professional experience.
• Mission Locale BordeauxcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal employment service for young people (16-25) organizing regular meetings with Sport & Insertion participants to identify synergies and support professional orientation.
• USG Tremplin Basket (Grigny)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal basketball club partnering for Basketball & Éducation program, providing young players with complete educational pathway alongside sports practice.
• JCM Basket (Le Mans)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBasketball club in Le Mans developing Basketball & Éducation program for young licensed players.
• Château PalmersecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnnual partnership since 2021 hosting 40 young people for vine leaf removal (effeuillage) experience at the vineyard.
• Université de BordeauxsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity partner for educational programs and student involvement.
• UBB RugbysecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerUnion Bordeaux Bègles rugby club collaborating on sports activities and community engagement.
• École élémentaire Talla Diagne (Yoff, Dakar)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPublic elementary school in Yoff, Dakar for Younus Sénégal program providing education access and collaboration on academic support.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Emmaüs: Major French social-inclusion movement covering housing, employment, and education. Comparable in targeting social insertion of disadvantaged populations in France and competing for similar public and philanthropic funding.
• Break Poverty Foundation: French foundation combatting poverty by supporting and scaling innovative social programs. Comparable in supporting youth-insertion initiatives and acting as a potential ecosystem funder/partner.
• Fédération Française de Sport Adapté: French federation organizing adapted sport for people with disabilities. Comparable as a French grassroots sport organization serving vulnerable populations, though focused on disability inclusion rather than youth insertion per se.
• Fondation de France: Largest French philanthropic foundation supporting diverse social causes including youth education and insertion. Comparable as a funder and convener for non-profits working on the same social issues.

Direct peers

• Sport dans la Ville: France's largest sports-based youth-insertion non-profit, operating across multiple French cities. The closest direct peer — both organizations use sports as a vehicle for education and professional insertion outcomes for disadvantaged youth, and compete for the same EU, regional, and corporate funders.
• PLAY International: International non-profit using sport and play for education and social inclusion of vulnerable children. Directly comparable in combining sports programming with educational outcomes for underserved youth across multiple countries.
• Les Apprentis d'Auteuil: Major French non-profit delivering education, formation, and social insertion to vulnerable youth in France. Comparable in targeting disadvantaged youth with holistic support combining schooling, personal development, and professional orientation.

Others

• Fondation La France s'Engage: Foundation created at the initiative of François Hollande that supports innovative social projects including Académie Younus itself. Comparable as the ecosystem actor funding and accompanying scaling of French social-impact associations.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Academie_Younus
• Facebookfacebook.com/AcademieYounus
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/acad-mie-younus
• Instagraminstagram.com/academie_younus

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Académie Younus