Ofaj/dfjw

What Ofaj/dfjw does

The Office franco-allemand pour la Jeunesse (OFAJ/DFJW) is a Franco-German intergovernmental organization established by the Élysée Treaty in 1963 to promote youth exchanges and cooperation between France and Germany. Headquartered at 51 rue de l'Amiral Mouchez in Paris with a regional office at Molkenmarkt 1 in Berlin, it serves children and adolescents, young adults, schools and universities, youth associations and federations, teachers, youth workers, and researchers through subsidized exchange programs, training, and digital platforms. Over 63 years, OFAJ has facilitated 400,000 exchange programs involving 10 million+ young people across both countries.

OFAJ operates an extensive digital platform portfolio layered on top of its program mandate. Core infrastructure includes Electra (central subsidy application management with modules for VFA@IN volunteering, PRAXES@IN internships, Scolari school exchanges, and the Brigitte Sauzay/Voltaire individual exchange programs), Scolari (school home-stay exchanges), Tele-Tandem (virtual Franco-German class collaboration), FriDa (hybrid extra-curricular exchanges), DOMINO (partner-school matching), PARKUR (German learning built on Chamilo LMS), and Cartorik (digital map of Franco-German history). Supporting tools include Mobidico (bilingual vocabulary), AKI-App (soft-skills documentation), i-eval (program evaluation), Dekarbo (CO2 footprint calculator), and a Teamer Database of certified intercultural animators. The product surface spans programs (Brigitte Sauzay, Voltaire, Projets-IN, Cours binationaux en tandem, home-stay and third-place encounters), animator certification training, and the Citizens' Fund (Fonds citoyen), which has supported 4,500+ civil society projects since 2020.

The organization is funded primarily by the French and German governments under its treaty charter and co-funded through modest participant fees (€60–€220 for training programs, €1,040–€1,510 for residential youth encounters) and project subsidies capped at €1,234. Distribution combines self-serve digital application platforms with institutional channels: central federations, school inspectorates and ministries (e.g., the French Ministry of Education and German KMK for Projets-IN), youth associations, municipal twinning committees, and the BILD/GÜZ binational animator network. Geographies served extend bilaterally across France and Germany and trilaterally into the Western Balkans (via RYCO), Greece, Spain, Poland, and the Maghreb.

Name

Ofaj/dfjw

Legal name

Office franco-allemand pour la Jeunesse (OFAJ)

Website

https://ofaj.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1963

Operating status

Operating

Short description

OFAJ/DFJW is a Franco-German intergovernmental organization founded in 1963 that facilitates bilateral youth exchanges, training, and subsidies between France and Germany through a portfolio of digital platforms and programs serving children, students, educators, and youth associations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Exchange Programs

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172), International Affairs (928120)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), International Affairs (9721)

akta.pro primary industry

Application Support, Matching Platforms & Scholarship Administration Services (EDAIAOAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

International Student Funding & Mobility Grants Administration (EDADAHAL), Virtual/Hybrid International Short-Term Academic Programs (EDAIAIAL), International Development & Donor-Funded Education Programs (EDADALAB)

Keywords

• Youth exchange programs
• Franco-German cooperation
• Intercultural education
• School partnership programs
• Civil society funding

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

OFAJ/DFJW is a Franco-German intergovernmental organization that designs, funds, and manages bilateral youth exchange programs, school partnerships, professional training, and civil society projects between France and Germany. It operates a portfolio of specialized digital platforms (Electra, Scolari, Tele-Tandem, FriDa, DOMINO, PARKUR, Mobidico, Cartorik) that support applications, partner matching, language learning, and program evaluation, alongside direct programs such as the Brigitte Sauzay and Voltaire school exchanges, the Citizens' Fund, and youth animator training.

Product overview

The OFAJ/DFJW operates a comprehensive platform-plus-services model for Franco-German youth exchange, combining multiple specialized online platforms with direct program offerings. The core digital infrastructure includes Electra (central subsidy management), Scolari (school exchange management), PRAXES@IN (internship tracking), and specialized tools like PARKUR (language learning), Mobidico (translation), Cartorik (historical map), Tele-Tandem (virtual collaboration), FriDa (hybrid meeting platform), and DOMINO (partner matching). Direct programs span individual school exchanges (Brigitte Sauzay, Voltaire), group encounters (home-stay, third-place), innovative projects (Projets-IN), language training (tandem courses), youth leader training, and the Fonds citoyen civil society fund.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Programme Brigitte Sauzay Individual school exchange program for French and German students (4th/8th grade) offering funding support for medium-term stays of 3 months to a full school year in the partner country.
• Programme Voltaire School exchange program for students in 4th/3rd grade (collège) and 2nd grade (seconde) that offers opportunities to discover German culture and improve language skills through binational stays.
• Rencontres au domicile du partenaire Home-stay exchange program where French and German students alternate visiting each other's countries, attending classes at partner schools and staying with host families.
• Rencontres en tiers-lieu Third-place encounter program where French and German students meet in youth hostels or collective accommodation away from their usual family and school environment, working together on joint projects.
• Projets-IN Innovative interdisciplinary and intercultural school project program supporting Franco-German encounters emphasizing student participation and cross-curricular learning for classes with enhanced German language instruction.
• Cours binationaux en tandem Language learning approach based on reciprocal autonomous learning in Franco-German pairs where students alternate between being language learner and native language expert.
• Formation pour devenir animateur.rice de rencontres de jeunes Training program for French and German youth ages 19-28 to become youth leaders, teaching them to work in binational teams, deliver language courses, and organize activities for Franco-German groups.
• Fonds citoyen franco-allemand Citizen fund created by the Treaty of Aachen and launched by OFAJ in 2020, providing long-term institutional anchoring to support civil society initiatives and youth exchanges between France and Germany.
• Electra Platform Central online platform for managing and submitting subsidy applications for Franco-German youth exchange programs, including specialized modules for volunteering, internships, school exchanges, and individual programs.
• Scolari Platform Online platform for school central offices and primary/secondary educational institutions to manage and submit applications for home-stay exchange programs with German partner schools.
• PRAXES@IN Management platform for organizing and tracking out-of-curriculum internships, enabling administrative processing, contract generation, and trainee evaluation workflows.
• PARKUR Online German language learning platform built on the Chamilo LMS, providing interactive German language courses for youth participating in exchange programs.
• Mobidico Bilingual linguistic tool providing instant translation and vocabulary support for French and German languages to facilitate communication in exchange contexts.
• Cartorik Digital interactive map displaying 63 places of Franco-German history, allowing exploration of historical sites and events across different periods from 1870 to the present day through geographic, historical, and thematic filters.
• Tele-Tandem Online platform for Franco-German school projects enabling virtual collaboration between classes before, during, and after physical exchanges, with integrated pedagogical tools and training resources for teachers.
• FriDa Platform for extra-curricular Franco-German youth exchanges facilitating the organization and animation of hybrid youth meetings, combining online and in-person components.
• DOMINO Partner matching platform enabling school institutions to quickly find partner establishments in Germany for organizing Franco-German exchanges.
• AKI-App Application for valuing and documenting soft skills acquired during youth exchange experiences and intercultural encounters.
• i-eval Evaluation tool for assessing and measuring outcomes and impacts of youth meetings and exchange programs.
• Dekarbo CO2 emissions calculator for youth exchanges that helps organizers estimate and offset the carbon footprint of travel and meetings.

Quantifiable outcome

• 10 million+ young people have participated in OFAJ programs since 1963
• +2 more outcomes

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature14 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Deutsches Jugendinstitut (dji)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 November 2026German Youth Institute, collaborating on the conference 'Youth in Rural Areas - perspectives - participation - future' (November 2026) alongside OFAJ, FJB, and INJEP to bring together researchers and youth work professionals from France and Germany.
• Fachverband Jugendarbeit / Jugendsozialarbeit (FJB)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 November 2026German association for youth work and youth social work, co-organizing the conference on rural youth perspectives in November 2026 with OFAJ and other institutional partners.
• Institut National de la Jeunesse et de l'Education Populaire (INJEP)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 November 2026French National Institute for Youth and Popular Education, co-organizing the November 2026 conference on rural youth with OFAJ, dji, and FJB to facilitate scientific exchange between French and German researchers.
• Ministerium für Bildung, Jugend und Sport (MBJS) BrandenburgminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 November 2026Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport of Brandenburg state, providing support for the November 2026 conference on rural youth perspectives.
• Regional Youth Cooperation Office (RYCO)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026RYCO is the Regional Youth Cooperation Office for Western Balkans (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia). OFAJ collaborates with RYCO on youth cooperation, drawing inspiration from OFAJ's Franco-German reconciliation model to foster connections between young people across Europe. In 2026, 24 young people from France, Germany, and Western Balkans participated in joint events marking RYCO's 10th anniversary.
• French Ministry of EducationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Ministry of National Education, collaborating with OFAJ and KMK on the Projets-IN annual call for projects supporting reinforced German language teaching schools.
• Kultusministerkonferenz (KMK)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Standing Conference of Ministers of Education of the Länder in the Federal Republic of Germany, jointly launching annual Projets-IN calls with OFAJ and the French Ministry of Education.
• Maison de l'Europe du Val de MarnecoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 21 September 2025Hosting the Franco-Germano-Spanish intercultural animation training (21-27 September 2025 in France) as part of OFAJ-supported professional mobility training for youth workers.
• CEMEA Nord-Pas-de-CalaiscoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 19 July 2025Association organizing the trilogue certifiante training (Part I: 19-26 July 2025 in Lille) as part of the Franco-Germano-Greek intercultural animation certification program supported by OFAJ.
• OFAJ/DFJWcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 April 2025Internal organizational partnership for training delivery, with OFAJ providing the FriDa platform for the blended learning course on hybrid youth encounters.
• Bureau International de Liaison et de Documentation (BILD)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1963Long-standing partner organization that, together with its German counterpart GÜZ, organizes binational youth encounters for 9-18 year olds in France and Germany. BILD trains French and German young people (aged 19-28) as animators for these exchanges, providing both linguistic work and leisure activities.
• Gesellschaft für Übernationale Zusammenarbeit (GÜZ)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1963German counterpart of BILD, jointly organizing Franco-German youth encounters with BILD under OFAJ support. GÜZ trains young animators from both countries to lead binational youth programs.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Competitive moat5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/OFAJDFJW
• Facebookfacebook.com/ofaj.dfjw
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ofaj-dfjw
• Instagraminstagram.com/ofaj_dfjw
• TikToktiktok.com/@ofaj_dfjw

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries10 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 Ofaj/dfjw