PROJECT ID

Project ID: 2023/452-457
Finance Instrument: European Union Grant
Action Type: Social entrepreneurship, youth employment, CSO capacity building, social inclusion and local development
Project Status: Completed
Implementation Period: 01/01/2024 – 30/06/2026
Funded by: European Union
Lead Organization: Youth Alliance – Krusevo
Project Partners: Association PUBLIC; Centre for Research and Analysis NOVUS – Strumica
Beneficiary Country: North Macedonia – all eight planning regions

Main Aim

RAISE CSOs – Resilient and Inclusive Social Entrepreneurship Pathways for Youth with Local Grassroot CSOs in North Macedonia aimed to strengthen the capacities of local grassroots civil society organisations to promote social entrepreneurship as a tool for the socio-economic integration of young people.

The project particularly focused on improving opportunities for young women and girls, Roma and other marginalised groups, young people from communities outside Skopje, and young people facing barriers to employment and economic participation.

Project Logic

IF local grassroots CSOs are equipped with evidence, practical tools, inclusive methodologies and stronger organisational capacities, AND IF they receive opportunities to test these approaches through mentoring, sub-granting and cooperation with the wider social entrepreneurship ecosystem, THEN they can become stronger local support structures for youth-led social entrepreneurship. By connecting capable grassroots organisations with young people, institutions, businesses, education providers and other ecosystem actors, RAISE CSOs contributed to more inclusive economic participation, stronger local support systems and a more connected social entrepreneurship ecosystem in North Macedonia.

Key Achievements

Mapping, assessment and evidence:
The project identified and mapped 202 local grassroots CSOs across all eight planning regions of North Macedonia. An online self-assessment tool was developed to help organisations evaluate their readiness to support youth social entrepreneurship, with 99 organisations obtaining individual readiness reports.

Strengthening local civil society organisations:
A customised capacity-building programme strengthened the capacities of 48 local CSOs, significantly exceeding the initial target. The programme combined social mentoring, systems thinking, U-theory, Social Business Canvas, inclusive approaches and green economy practices. 22 organisations completed all three training modules, while 78% of assessed organisations demonstrated adoption or use of youth-inclusive tools and methodologies.

Supporting local initiatives through sub-granting:
Through the RAISE CSOs sub-granting scheme, 10 local organisations received EUR 80,879.53 to develop, test and validate inclusive support programmes for young social entrepreneurs. Sub-grantees received continuous technical assistance, mentoring, monitoring and reporting support throughout implementation.

Youth mentoring and social entrepreneurship development:
A total of 264 young people were mentored in developing youth- and women-inclusive social business initiatives across 17 municipalities, 16 of them outside Skopje. The process resulted in 79 youth-led social business plans, with 16 enterprises established and operating by the end of the project and nine reporting improved economic stability.

Economic participation of young people:
The project supported 2,140 young people in accessing pathways connected with employment, internships, workplace learning and social entrepreneurship. Women represented 65.2% of the young people reached, demonstrating the project’s strong commitment to gender-inclusive economic participation.

Learning Labs and ecosystem cooperation:
Six regional Learning Labs were established in Struga, Skopje, Prilep, Gevgelija, Štip and Tetovo. They directly engaged 182 participants, 63.2% of whom were women, while 89% of participation took place outside Skopje. The wider network connected 250 ecosystem actors and generated 59 concrete new collaborations among CSOs, institutions, education actors, businesses and other stakeholders.

Knowledge, advocacy and policy development:
RAISE CSOs created a digital resource bank containing 43 youth-inclusive resources, including good practices, case studies, methodologies and practical tools. The project also produced a policy brief, documented social entrepreneurship programmes and developed evidence and recommendations supporting further development of the social entrepreneurship ecosystem in North Macedonia.

Communication and public outreach:
The project produced 115 social and traditional media outputs and achieved a cumulative audience reach of 464,926, significantly exceeding the initial communication target and increasing the visibility of youth social entrepreneurship and the role of grassroots CSOs.

MAIN RESULTS AND OUTPUTS

• 202 local grassroots CSOs identified and mapped across North Macedonia
• 1 online self-assessment tool developed and operational through the RAISE CSOs platform
• 99 CSOs obtained individual organisational readiness reports
• 50 CSOs assessed through structured field research in all eight planning regions
• 43 youth-inclusive resources developed or collected and made publicly accessible
• 48 local CSOs trained to support and mentor youth-led social entrepreneurship initiatives
• 10 grassroots CSOs sub-granted, receiving EUR 80,879.53 in financial support
• 264 young people mentored in developing inclusive social business initiatives
• 79 youth-led social business plans developed, with 16 enterprises established and operating
• 2,140 young people supported through employment, internship, workplace-learning and social entrepreneurship pathways
• 6 Learning Labs established, engaging 182 participants and creating new local and regional cooperation opportunities
• 250 ecosystem actors connected through the project’s networking and cooperation mechanisms
• 59 new collaborations generated among civil society, institutions, education actors, businesses and other ecosystem stakeholders
• 1 policy brief developed to support advocacy for a stronger social entrepreneurship ecosystem
• 26 case studies, reports and success stories/testimonials documenting project experiences and results
• 115 communication outputs reaching a cumulative audience of 464,926 people
• Stronger local support structures and cooperation mechanisms established across all eight planning regions of North Macedonia