Youth Can / Младите можат

What Youth Can / Младите можат does

Youth Can / Младите можат is a North Macedonian non-governmental, non-profit, and independent civil society organisation founded on May 28, 2009, by eight enthusiasts and headquartered on Bul. Ilinden n.47, Skopje. The organisation delivers youth empowerment programmes for young people aged approximately 15–29 across 11 cities in North Macedonia, encompassing peer education, civic engagement and active citizenship, entrepreneurship acceleration, mental health resilience, and crisis preparedness training. Its core programme portfolio includes the annual Social Day initiative (sixth edition in 2026, engaging 238 youth and 73 partner companies across 11 cities), the StartItUp: Rural Youth Entrepreneurship Accelerator (delivered under the BOOST Balkans programme), the Erasmus+ Joyful Minds project on humor-based adolescent psychological resilience (consortium ref: 101243616), and the "Connected in Crisis" project which produced a National Protocol for Working with Youth in Crisis Situations. The organisation does not operate a technology product or platform; its work is entirely programmatic and delivered through in-person activations, training, mentorship, and consortium-based international activities.

The organisation's go-to-market is community-led: open calls are published on its website and amplified through 30+ school partnerships, 100+ corporate partnerships, and a network of youth ambassadors. Beneficiary scale comprises 2,000+ actively engaged young people, 1,000+ annual service users, and 250+ trained peer educators. The revenue model is grant-funded and donor-driven, with primary support from the Government of Switzerland via the Civika Mobilitas programme, AFD France through the BOOST Balkans programme, and the European Union's Erasmus+ programme; corporate and school partnerships provide in-kind contributions, workplace placements (e.g., Social Day), and modest co-funding (e.g., 371,500 MKD raised in the 2026 youth fund). All programmes and services are provided free of charge to beneficiaries, consistent with its non-profit civil society mandate. The organisation is independently governed, with no parent company or institutional investor ownership identified in the source material.

Name

Youth Can / Младите можат

Legal name

Здружението на граѓани Младите можат

Website

https://youthcan.org.mk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Youth Can / Младите можат is a North Macedonian non-profit founded in 2009 that delivers youth empowerment, civic engagement, mental health, and entrepreneurship programmes to 2,000+ young people across 11 cities through grant-funded initiatives.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Development Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Child and Youth Services (624110), Educational Services (611), Educational Services (61)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Mentoring & Positive Youth Development Nonprofits (BPAGADAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Youth Mental Health, Counseling & Wellbeing (Education-Linked) Nonprofits (BPAGADAK), Youth & Young Adult Workforce Programs (Out-of-School Youth) (EDAAAOAD)

Keywords

• Youth empowerment programs
• Civic engagement initiatives
• Non-formal education
• Rural entrepreneurship acceleration
• Adolescent mental health support

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. Institutional Grants and Donor Funding: Youth Can's primary revenue model consists of institutional grants and donor funding from international development organizations, foreign governments, and EU programmes. Funding supports specific projects such as the BOOST Balkans rural entrepreneurship accelerator, the Civika Mobilitas crisis management protocol initiative, and Erasmus+ youth mental health programs. Funding is typically multi-year and tied to project deliverables.
2. Corporate and Institutional Partnerships: Youth Can secures financial and in-kind contributions from companies for Social Day and other youth programs. These partnerships generate funds that are reinvested into youth-led projects and initiatives.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Youth Can is a youth-led, non-profit civil society organization that designs and delivers grant-funded programs for young people aged 15–29 in North Macedonia. Its core offerings include Social Day (annual workplace engagement and youth fundraising), StartItUp Rural Youth Entrepreneurship Accelerator, the Erasmus+ Joyful Minds adolescent mental health program, and the Connected in Crisis / National Protocol for Working with Youth in Crisis Situations. All programs are provided free of charge and delivered in-person across 11 cities through school and corporate partnerships.

Product overview

Youth Can (Младите можат) is a non-governmental, non-profit youth organization founded in 2009, based in Skopje, North Macedonia. Rather than a technology product company, it offers a portfolio of social programmes and youth development initiatives. The core offerings include: (1) the 'Connected in Crisis' programme developing a national crisis management protocol for youth; (2) Social Day, an annual youth employment and fundraising initiative; (3) the StartItUp Rural Youth Entrepreneurship Accelerator; (4) the Erasmus+ Joyful Minds mental health programme using humor-based approaches; and (5) the National Protocol for Working with Youth in Crisis Situations. These programmes work together to empower youth through civic engagement, entrepreneurship support, and psychosocial resilience building across rural and urban communities in North Macedonia.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Social Day: Annual project connecting youth with businesses and institutions for work experience, now in its sixth edition
• StartItUp: Rural Youth Entrepreneurship Accelerator
• Joyful Minds
• Поврзани во криза: Млади што градат отпорност и заедństwo

Products and services

• Social Day Annual youth employment and civic engagement initiative connecting young people aged 15–29 with companies and institutions for a day of workplace experience, with funds raised directed to youth-led projects. The sixth edition (2026) involved 238 youth, 73 partner companies, and raised 371,500 denars across 11 cities.
• StartItUp: Rural Youth Entrepreneurship Accelerator A rural youth entrepreneurship accelerator equipping young people in North Macedonia to become drivers of sustainable local development through entrepreneurship, peer learning, mentorship, job shadowing with local businesses, and crowdfunding campaigns. Part of the BOOST Balkans programme.
• Joyful Minds – Humor-Based Program for Enhancing Adolescent Psychological Resilience An Erasmus+ funded program implementing a humor-based methodology to strengthen psychological resilience among adolescents aged 12–18, with four-country consortium delivery targeting over 1,000 adolescents.
• National Protocol for Working with Youth in Crisis Situations A framework establishing standards for safe, coordinated, and effective action by youth centres, youth organisations, and institutions during crisis situations, covering three phases: pre-crisis preparedness, crisis response, and post-crisis recovery.

Quantifiable outcome

• 53.4% of young people report negative impact on mental health from crises; 67% of youth, 64% of parents, and 82% of institutions identify psychological support as the most important need in crisis conditions.
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

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.

• ALDA Europe (European Association for Local Democracy)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026ALDA Europe implements the BOOST Balkans programme, of which StartItUp: Rural Youth Entrepreneurship Accelerator is a part. Youth Can is the local implementing partner for North Macedonia. The programme supports rural youth entrepreneurship through training, mentorship, and grant campaigns.
• ALDA BalkanscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026ALDA Balkans coordinates the BOOST Balkans programme in North Macedonia. Youth Can serves as the local partner implementing the StartItUp rural entrepreneurship accelerator.
• Suport KočanicoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Suport Kočani is the primary project partner on the 'Connected in Crisis: Youth Building Resilience and Community' project. Together with Youth Can, they developed the National Crisis Management Protocol and conducted research, expert working groups, and a test simulation in Bitola.
• 73 partner companies and institutions (Social Day)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 202673 companies and institutions provided workplace placements for the Social Day 2026 initiative, enabling 238 young people to gain work experience across 11 cities. Companies contributed to a youth fund of 371,500 MKD.
• 18 partner secondary schoolsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 202618 secondary schools formally partnered with Youth Can for Social Day 2026, facilitating youth participation and hosting program activities. The winning schools (SOU Kočo Racin and SUGS Nikola Karev) received portions of the youth fund.
• Disneyland Trade Prilep (Дизниленд Трејд Прилеп)minorOthers · 1 January 2026Disneyland Trade Prilep, a family confectionery business in Prilep, hosted job shadowing sessions for StartItUp rural entrepreneurship accelerator participants, providing practical business experience.
• Genesis Project (Bosnia and Herzegovina)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Genesis Project leads the Erasmus+ Joyful Minds consortium. The project develops a humor-based program for enhancing adolescent psychological resilience across four countries. Youth Can is the North Macedonian partner, contributing to curriculum development and local workshop delivery.
• Forum for Freedom in Education (Croatia)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Forum for Freedom in Education is a consortium partner in the Erasmus+ Joyful Minds project alongside Youth Can (North Macedonia), Genesis Project (Bosnia and Herzegovina), and ARSIS (Albania). The consortium aims to strengthen adolescent mental health resilience through humor-based methodologies.
• Nisma për Ndryshim Shoqëror ARSIS (Albania)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025ARSIS is a consortium partner in the Erasmus+ Joyful Minds project, working with Youth Can to deliver humor-based mental health workshops for adolescents across Albania and North Macedonia.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Civita Youth / Civic Initiatives: Balkan civil society support organization providing youth programming and grantmaking — a thematic peer in Western Balkans civic and youth-development infrastructure.
• Smart Kolektiv: Serbian social enterprise NGO supporting youth employment, social entrepreneurship, and CSR — closely comparable to Youth Can's Boost Balkans / StartItUp rural entrepreneurship accelerator in mission.

Direct peers

• Forum for Freedom in Education: Croatian NGO delivering civic and non-formal education programmes for youth and educators, and a co-consortium partner with Youth Can in the Erasmus+ Joyful Minds project. Closest peer in mission, methodology, and consortium structure.
• Mladiinfo: Czech/regional platform supporting youth mobility, civic engagement, and non-formal education across the Western Balkans and Eastern Europe. Comparable audience (15–29 youth) and content/programme model.
• ARSIS (Nisma për Ndryshim Shoqëror): Albanian NGO delivering youth social services, child protection, and non-formal education programmes — and an Erasmus+ Joyful Minds consortium partner. Comparable to Youth Can in mission, beneficiary age range, and operating model.
• Genesis Project: Bosnia-based NGO active in youth empowerment and education, leading the Erasmus+ Joyful Minds consortium alongside Youth Can. Direct peer in youth civic engagement programming and Western Balkans grant delivery.
• Institute for Youth Development KULT: Bosnian youth-focused NGO delivering non-formal education and civic engagement programmes; comparable in Western Balkans youth-development mission and grant-funded model.
• YMCA Skopje: Local Skopje-based youth-focused non-profit delivering non-formal education, leadership programmes, and youth engagement — directly comparable in geography, beneficiary age range, and programme design.
• Suport Kočani: Macedonian NGO partnering with Youth Can on the Connected in Crisis / National Crisis Management Protocol project; delivers community-based youth services in eastern North Macedonia.

Broad incumbents

• ALDA Europe (European Association for Local Democracy): A pan-European association supporting local democracy and civil society, currently coordinating the BOOST Balkans programme in which Youth Can is the North Macedonian implementing partner. Comparable as a Western Balkans civic-engagement intermediary with multi-country grant access.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ngo-youth-can

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Youth Can / Младите можат