4.1.1 YouthCan!
YouthCan! builds on the successful GoTeach global partnership model of SOS Children’s Villages and Deutsche Post DHL Group and aims to:
- Create direct opportunities for young people, empowering them through training, mentorship and work experience to better transition into stable employment.
- Open the partnership-model to further corporate and institutional partners, enabling SOS Children's Villages to reach more young people.
- Build an action-oriented practitioners' network of existing and new corporate partners to visibly increase the measurable impact of corporate partnerships on youth employment and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
- Create evidence-based research that can be shared to improve youth employability practices at a national and global level.
- Inspire and invite other global and local actors to replicate the model.
Young people without adequate parental care can really benefit from mentoring, work experience, employability skills training. By helping them build their confidence and self-esteem, they become better equipped to compete effectively on the labor market. The aim of the YouthCan! initiative is to meet these needs with a unique and individualized approach. Thanks to its network of corporate and implementations partners from different sectors and industries, YouthCan! is able to support young people’s pathways to employment - wherever their interests lie - by means of tailor-made skills training programs, job shadowing opportunities, internships and one-on-one mentoring relationships with corporate staff members, but also enabled through expert trainers. Corporate knowledge and infrastructure provide an ideal environment for young people to gain relevant skills and access to networks. In 2023, YouthCan! was active in 50 countries, reaching 17,800 young people and more than 1,700 volunteers.
As the world is turning more and more digital, so do also the needs of young people shift. In order to address this need and equip young people with the skills necessary for the world of tomorrow, YouthCan! has established its own "digital pillar" - Find out more about digital innovations for the programme under the YouthLinks Community umbrella here.
These results stem in part from the continued commitment of YouthCan!'s global partners: AkzoNobel, Deutsche Post DHL Group, Siegwerk and TK Elevator. Together, we continue to move away from conventional public-private partnerships to a new era of collaboration, where fostering exchange and encouraging teamwork is key to impact-oriented results.
Find out more about what YouthCan! accomplished on a global level in the YouthCan! Facts and Figures reports:
| Chapter lead | Susanne Novotny |
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