AJITER - Terceira Island Youth Association

What AJITER - Terceira Island Youth Association does

AJITER (Associação Juvenil da Ilha Terceira) is a Portuguese non-profit youth association founded in April 2003 and headquartered in Angra do Heroísmo on Terceira Island in the Azores archipelago. Its mission is to promote the integration and active participation of young people in their communities, addressing above-average regional unemployment, social exclusion risks, and what the organization characterizes as generalized indifference among youth. The organization is governed by elected bodies (Direction, General Assembly, Fiscal Council) under the presidency of Décio Santos, with a small staff of approximately five people operating from two locations on Terceira Island.

The association's core commercial product is the Cartão AJITER, a local youth card inspired by the European Youth Card that provides benefits and discounts to holders at a symbolic €5.75 annual fee and reached approximately 1,500 members by 2017. Beyond the card, AJITER operates recurring local projects — the Angra Sound Bay music contest and the 'Angra com Futuro' entrepreneurship fair (held in its VII edition in November 2023) — alongside a portfolio of international projects funded through Erasmus+ (Sports4Life, Social Youth, NOT SKIP, SAIL4Employment), INTERREG MAC (MODAMAC, MODA AZORES, TEXTIL), and Europe for Citizens (IPLAY). No proprietary technology systems, software products, or AI/ML assets are disclosed.

Revenue mechanics are overwhelmingly grant-driven rather than commercial: operating capacity depends on co-financing from the Azores Regional Government, both Terceira municipal city halls (Praia da Vitória and Angra do Heroísmo), and European programs, supplemented by nominal card membership fees. Institutional positioning is reinforced by a 2010 Declaration of Public Utility, 2016 Eurodesk multiplier status (founding group in Portugal), and a 2017 partnership with the Portuguese National Commission of UNESCO that created the UNESCO Center 'Jovem Insula'. Distribution occurs through community channels — schools, parishes, sports clubs, local government offices, and earned media in Diário Insular — rather than traditional commercial sales infrastructure.

Name

AJITER - Terceira Island Youth Association

Legal name

Associação Juvenil da Ilha Terceira

Website

https://ajiter.pt

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

AJITER is a Portuguese non-profit youth association on Terceira Island (Azores) that promotes youth integration through the Cartão AJITER youth card, local events, and Erasmus+/INTERREG-funded international projects.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Angra do Heroísmo

HQ country

Portugal

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. AJITER Card membership fees: The AJITER Card is a youth card for young people in Terceira Island, inspired by the European Youth Card, providing benefits to holders for a symbolic cost of 5.75 Euros. This represents a social and entrepreneurial dimension with solidarity goals.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

AJITER is a non-profit youth association that delivers community-based youth programs and services on Terceira Island in the Azores. Its core product is the Cartão AJITER (AJITER Card), a membership card for young residents providing access to benefits and services for a symbolic annual fee of 5.75 Euros. The association also runs local projects (Angra Sound Bay music contest, Feira Angra com Futuro entrepreneurship fair) and implements international projects funded through Erasmus+, INTERREG MAC, Eurodesk, and UNESCO programs focused on youth mobility, non-formal education, entrepreneurship, and democratic participation.

Product overview

AJITER operates as a non-profit youth association offering primarily the Cartão AJITER (AJITER Card), a local youth card inspired by the European Youth Card. The organization also manages multiple local projects including Angra Sound Bay music contest and the Angra com Futuro entrepreneurship fair, alongside international projects under Erasmus+ and INTERREG programs such as Sports4Life, Social Youth, NOT SKIP, and MODA AZORES. Additional services include newsletter subscription for news and event updates.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Cartão AJITER: Youth card for young people in Terceira Island providing benefits to cardholders, with a symbolic cost of 5.75 Euros. Has social and entrepreneurial dimensions with solidarity goals.

Products and services

• Cartão AJITER (AJITER Card) A youth membership card for young people residing on Terceira Island, providing benefits and services to cardholders for a symbolic annual cost of 5.75 Euros. Has social and entrepreneurial dimensions with solidarity motivations.
• Angra Sound Bay

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1,500 card members by 2017

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Portuguese National Commission of UNESCOcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Partnership resulted in the creation of the UNESCO Center 'Jovem Insula' in 2017, promoting youth participation in UNESCO activities.
• EurodeskcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Joined the international network for youth information in 2016. AJITER became part of the founding group in Portugal, serving as a Eurodesk multiplier.
• Regional Government of the Azores (Governo dos Açores)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 June 2010Declared Institution of Public Utility by the President of the Regional Government of the Azores, Carlos César. Cooperates with Education and Youth Regional Directions.
• City Hall of Praia da VitóriacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClose relationship with one of the two municipal governments of Terceira Island, providing development and support for AJITER activities.
• City Hall of Angra do HeroísmocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClose relationship with one of the two municipal governments of Terceira Island, providing development and support for AJITER activities.
• Erasmus+ Youth ProgrammecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipates in Erasmus+ mobility and learning programs, including youth exchanges, youth worker mobilities, and training courses across Europe.
• Europe for Citizens ProgrammeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipates in Europe for Citizens projects such as IPLAY - Internet Access for Participation, Learning and Active Youth.
• INTERREG MAC ProgrammeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-financing and support through INTERREG V Cooperation Program Spain-Portugal MAC (Madeira-Azores-Canaries) 2014-2020 for projects like MODAMAC and MODA AZORES.
• Local sports clubs, parishes, and schoolsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborates with local sports clubs, parishes, secondary and higher education institutions, and local radio/TV networks for youth activities and programs.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Instituto Português do Desporto e Juventude (IPDJ): Portuguese government body overseeing youth and sports policy. Comparable as the regulatory and funding counterpart to AJITER's Public Utility status and youth-program delivery across Portugal.
• European Youth Forum: Independent umbrella of over 100 European youth organizations advocating for youth rights and policy. Comparable to AJITER in its structured dialogue with policy makers and youth participation mission, but operating at pan-European scale.
• Eurodesk: European youth information network with multipliers across Europe. AJITER is a founding Eurodesk multiplier in Portugal, making Eurodesk both a network partner and a comparable European-level youth information intermediary.
• SALTO-YOUTH: EU resource centers supporting Erasmus+ Youth and European Solidarity Corps. AJITER regularly participates in SALTO-YOUTH training and events, making it both a participant and a structural comparator in non-formal youth education delivery.

Direct peers

• YMCA Portugal: Portuguese chapter of the global YMCA movement, focused on youth development, non-formal education, and community engagement. Comparable to AJITER in mission and community-based delivery, including youth training and civic participation programs.
• Corpo Nacional de Escutas (CNE - Portuguese Scouts): Portugal's largest scouting organization delivering non-formal education and youth development through community-based methods. Highly comparable to AJITER in mission, target age range, and grassroots delivery model, though operating at substantially larger national scale.
• European Youth Card Association (EYCA): Pan-European umbrella coordinating the European Youth Card across 40+ countries. Directly comparable because AJITER's Cartão AJITER is explicitly modeled on the European Youth Card and offers similar youth benefits/discounts.

Emerging players

• IFM-SEI: International federation of youth organizations focused on non-formal education, youth exchanges, and democratic participation. Comparable to AJITER in mission and methods, particularly around Erasmus+ youth exchanges and structured dialogue activities.
• ANJE - Associação Nacional de Jovens Empresários: Portuguese association supporting young entrepreneurs through training, fairs, and capacity building. Comparable to AJITER's entrepreneurship-focused 'Feira Angra com Futuro' (held annually since its launch, now in VII edition) and youth entrepreneurship programming.
• Erasmus Student Network (ESN): Pan-European student network linked to Erasmus+ programs. Partially comparable to AJITER given overlapping participation in the Erasmus+ ecosystem and youth mobility/exchange focus, though primarily student rather than youth-association oriented.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/ajiter.pt
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ajiter

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about AJITER - Terceira Island Youth Association