Youth Educational Forum

What Youth Educational Forum does

Youth Educational Forum (MOF) is a non-profit, non-partisan youth organization founded in 1999 and headquartered in Skopje, North Macedonia. It operates a network of youth clubs across 22 cities, employs 37 staff, and reaches more than 2,000 young people annually through five programmatic verticals: debate and critical thinking (including the National Debate Competition and hosting of the international IDEA MOF tournament); the Learning Law (Uchime Pravo) civic-legal-literacy program delivered in partnership with practicing lawyers; youth activism and community engagement; policy research and legislative advocacy on youth issues; and Radio MOF, a youth-produced media platform. MOF positions itself as an implementing partner and convening body in the Western Balkans civic-education ecosystem, with cross-border collaborations alongside organizations such as SCiDEV (Albania), YIHR (Serbia), the Croatian Debate Society, Anne Frank House and IREX.

The organization's business model is grant-funded and project-based rather than commercial. Revenue is sourced from a portfolio of international institutional donors, including GIZ, USAID, the Open Society Foundations, UNFPA, UNHCR, the European Union, the Westminster Foundation for Democracy, UNICEF, CIVICA Mobilitas and the Regional Youth Cooperation Office (RYCO). MOF does not charge participants for its core programs and has no disclosed fee-for-service revenue, subscription pricing, or commercial product line. Its go-to-market is essentially donor-driven: MOF competes for multi-year project grants, often as a national or regional implementing partner, and uses its 27-year track record, 22-city delivery footprint, and regional partner network to win and renew that grant pipeline. The organization also derives reputational and convening leverage from hosting international debate events, which serves both programmatic and fundraising objectives.

Operationally, MOF's core "product" is structured civic-education programming — curricula, debate formats, legal-literacy workshops, activist training, and youth-led media — delivered through a hub-and-club model anchored in secondary schools and municipal partners. Its technical surface is modest: a website, the Radio MOF broadcast, and conventional project-management tooling typical of a mid-sized civil-society NGO. There is no indication of a proprietary technology platform, software product, or data asset that would constitute a scalable commercial offering beyond the grant-funded program delivery itself.

Name

Youth Educational Forum

Legal name

Youth Educational Forum

Website

https://mof.mk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Youth Educational Forum (MOF) is a North Macedonia non-profit founded in 1999 that runs youth clubs in 22 cities and delivers debate, civic-legal education, activism, policy research, and Radio MOF programming to 2,000+ young people annually, funded primarily by international institutional donors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Civic Education / Non-formal Education Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Services (611), Child and Youth Services (62411)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Mentoring & Positive Youth Development Nonprofits (BPAGADAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Community Center Education Programs (EDAAAFAB), After-School Public Speaking & Debate Clubs (EDAMAOAB), Youth-to-Adult Transition & Life Skills (Independent Living, Soft Skills) (EDAAAFAN)

Keywords

• Youth civic education
• Debate education programs
• Legal literacy training
• Youth media platform
• Civil society nonprofit

Headquarters

HQ city

Skopje

HQ country

North Macedonia

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Project and Programme Funding (Grants): YEF operates primarily as a grant-funded nonprofit, implementing projects commissioned or co-funded by international donors. Revenue is project-based and cycle-driven, covering programmatic activities, staff, and operational costs. Donors include bilateral agencies (GIZ, USAID), foundations (Open Society Foundations, Westminster Foundation for Democracy), multilateral organisations (UNFPA, UNHCR), and EU programmes.
2. Organisational Support Grants: YEF receives general organisational support grants (e.g., from CIVICA Mobilitas) that fund institutional capacity-building, staffing, and operational continuity rather than specific project deliverables.
3. Fees for Services (Honorium-Based Engagements): YEF pays honoraria to contracted staff and collaborators (e.g., journalists, educators) on a fee-for-service basis. For example, a Radio MOF journalist role carries an honorarium of 30,000–35,000 MKD net per month. No product licensing or subscription revenue model applies.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Youth Educational Forum is a nonprofit youth organisation that delivers non-formal civic-education programmes through a nationwide network of youth clubs operating in 22 cities across North Macedonia. Its portfolio includes Debate training (high-school and university clubs in British Parliamentary format), Learning Law / legal-literacy clubs, Youth Activism / Artivism training, Research and Youth Educational Policy work, and Radio MOF—an independent online multimedia platform producing youth-oriented news and podcasts. Programmes are offered free of charge to individual youth beneficiaries aged 15–30, with more than 2,000 young members participating annually.

Product overview

Youth Educational Forum (YEF/MOF) is a non-profit youth organization offering a portfolio of educational programs rather than a technology product. The core offerings include: Debate Program (high school and university debate clubs), Learning Law Program (legal literacy with Initial and Advanced clubs), Youth Activism Program (artivism and advocacy training), Research and Policy Program (youth research and policy analysis), and Radio MOF (independent online media platform). These programs operate through youth clubs in multiple cities across North Macedonia, serving over 2000 young members annually. The organization does not offer a software product or technology platform as its primary offering.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Radio MOF: An independent online media outlet providing informative and musical content, focused on youth, education, activism, participation, and culture. Available at www.radiomof.mk.

Products and services

• Debate Program (Дебата) Educational debate programme with clubs for high-school and university students, teaching argumentation, public speaking, and critical-thinking skills through structured British Parliamentary debate format, with weekly sessions, national tournaments, and educator/judge training.
• Learning Law Program (Учиме право) Legal-literacy programme offering Initial and Advanced clubs that teach young people about legal concepts, constitutional rights, the rule of law, and how to engage with public institutions.
• Youth Activism Program (Младински активизам) Activism programme offering Artivism clubs (Learn Artivism and Become an Artivist) and advocacy training, teaching creative expression, community organising, and advocacy skills, with clubs operating in Skopje, Tearce, Strumica, Bitola, Radoviš, and Kruševo.
• Research, Analysis and Youth Educational Policies Program Research and policy-development programme conducting studies on youth issues, educational policies, and youth organising, and producing publications, policy recommendations, and youth-organising resources.
• Radio MOF Independent online multimedia platform providing news, investigative reports, podcasts, and audio/video content focused on youth, education, activism, participation, and culture, with content created by young journalists and authors and distributed via radiomof.mk and partner social-media channels.

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core, notable and key partner.

• Centre for Science and Innovation for Development (SCiDEV)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 March 2026SCiDEV from Albania is YEF's key implementing partner in the Regional Youth Leadership Mobility Programme (RYLMP), managing the programme alongside YEF and Youth Initiative for Human Rights (YIHR) Serbia. SCiDEV leads on research coordination, mentorship pairing, and policy-paper co-authorship across the three-country mobility cycle.
• Youth Initiative for Human Rights (YIHR)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 March 2026YIHR Serbia is the third implementing partner in the RYLMP, joining SCiDEV and YEF to deliver the regional mobility and policy-advocacy programme spanning Albania, North Macedonia, and Serbia. YIHR contributes local expertise on human rights, youth advocacy, and institutional engagement in Serbia.
• Regional Youth Cooperation Office (RYCO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRYCO is the regional mechanism for youth cooperation, reconciliation, mobility, and participation in the Western Balkans. YEF works closely with RYCO's local office in North Macedonia and advocates for youth representation in RYCO's Governing Board.
• Anne Frank HousenotableStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnne Frank House, the Amsterdam-based museum and educational centre, partners with YEF on history education, tolerance, and youth civic development programmes, bringing international educational methodologies to Macedonian youth.
• Macedonian Centre for International Cooperation (MCGO / MCEC)notableStrategic or Co-development PartnerMCGO is a Macedonian civil-society platform that partners with YEF on international cooperation, youth programming, and development initiatives.
• Pestalozzi Children's FoundationnotableStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Pestalozzi Children's Foundation supports YEF's youth education and intercultural understanding programmes, contributing pedagogical expertise and international network connections.
• SafeJournalists NetworknotableStrategic or Co-development PartnerSafeJournalists is a regional Western Balkans network promoting journalist safety and media freedom, with which YEF collaborates on media literacy and journalist protection initiatives.
• Croatian Debate Society (HDD)notableStrategic or Co-development PartnerHDD is the lead implementer of the DEAL – Debate Education for Local Active Participation project, partnering with Junior Achievement Albania (JAA) and YEF to deliver educator training for debate clubs across North Macedonia and Albania, funded by the Croatian Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs.
• IREX (International Research & Exchanges Board)key partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerIREX is the lead implementer of the 'Rinia Mendon' media literacy programme (USAID-funded), with YEF as a local partner alongside the Macedonian Institute for Media (IMM) and the Institute for Communication Studies (ISK), delivering media literacy training and youth media club support.
• US Embassy in Skopje / American CornersnotableStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe US Embassy in Skopje administers American Corners in North Macedonia, which YEF co-manages, providing spaces for English-language learning, US cultural programming, and youth professional development.
• Human Rights Youth Resource (HRYR / Centre for Human Rights Programme)notableStrategic or Co-development PartnerYEF partners with the Human Rights Youth Resource (HRYR) from Belgrade on the 'Youth Rights Talks' regional project, organising youth workshops and a regional youth event in Belgrade on youth rights, intercultural dialogue, and conflict resolution.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Macedonian Centre for International Cooperation (MCGO): MCGO is a Macedonian civil-society platform working on international cooperation and youth programming and an active YEF partner. Directly comparable as a domestic CSO operating in North Macedonia with overlapping donor relationships and international-cooperation programmes.
• Kosovo Democratic Institute (KDI): KDI is a Kosovo-based civil-society organization focused on democratic governance, civic education, and youth policy. Comparable to YEF in programmatic focus, regional Western Balkans orientation, and reliance on USAID/EU/embassy funding.
• Youth Initiative for Human Rights (YIHR) Serbia: YIHR Serbia is YEF's direct implementing partner in the Regional Youth Leadership Mobility Programme (RYLMP), running complementary youth civic-education and human-rights programmes from Belgrade targeting the same 15–30 demographic. The two organizations share model, geography and Western Balkans donor set.
• Institute for Democracy and Mediation (IDM): IDM is a Kosovo-based civil-society organization promoting democratic governance, civic education and youth policy participation. Highly comparable to YEF in mission, programmatic mix (civic education, research, policy advocacy), and Western Balkans donor base.
• Centre for Free Elections and Democracy (CeSID): CeSID is Serbia's leading civic-society organization focused on democratic participation, civic education, and youth engagement. Comparable to YEF in mission, donor set (USAID, EU), and Western Balkans youth-democracy focus.
• Junior Achievement Albania (JAA): JAA is the third DEAL partner alongside YEF and HDD, delivering entrepreneur and civic-education content to Albanian youth. Closely comparable as a Western Balkans non-formal-education nonprofit targeting school-aged youth via NGO-club models.
• Croatian Debate Society (Hrvatsko Debatno Društvo - HDD): HDD leads the DEAL debate-education project alongside YEF and Junior Achievement Albania. As the leading Croatian debate organization with British Parliamentary format expertise, HDD is a direct peer on debating curriculum and educator training.
• Centre for Science and Innovation for Development (SCiDEV): SCiDEV from Albania is YEF's third RYLMP implementing partner. It runs non-formal civic-science and policy programmes for Albanian youth using similar grant-funded club-based delivery, making it the closest non-formal-education counterpart in the Western Balkans region.

Broad incumbents

• Regional Youth Cooperation Office (RYCO): RYCO is an intergovernmental Western Balkans body for youth cooperation and mobility. YEF works closely with RYCO's North Macedonia office and advocates for youth representation in its Governing Board, making RYCO both a partner and a regional funder/incumbent in the same civic-youth space.
• European Youth Forum: European Youth Forum is the Brussels-based umbrella platform representing youth organizations across Europe. YEF engages with it indirectly through RYCO/regional networks; comparable as a youth civic-society platform but operating at EU-wide scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/MOFedu
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/YouthEduForum
• Facebookfacebook.com/MOFedu
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/youth-educational-forum
• Instagraminstagram.com/youtheducationalforum

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Youth Educational Forum