Youth Engagement Services (YES) Network Pakistan is a national leader in the field of social entrepreneurship in Pakistan. YES facilitates thousands of children and young people to begin their entrepreneurial journey each year through its projects. The organisation implements a very unique and self-sustaining model to introduce and institutionalize the concept of youth social entrepreneurship in Pakistan. It offers a comprehensive package to youth; from inspiration to experimentation; to training and funding, showcasing and practical support.
Image credit: YES
Main activities and achievements
YES has introduced the concept of Social Entrepreneurship in over 1,200 technical institutions of Pakistan. It holds a unique position in the country, as it is the first organization in the country which has integrated the concept of Social Entrepreneurship into the curriculum of over 180 leading vocational and educational institutions of Pakistan. It is working with over 90 leading universities of Pakistan to prepare young people as Social Entrepreneurs through a variety of exciting and innovative projects.
In an external evaluation done by Pakistan Center for Philanthropy in 2011, YES has scored 97% in facilitating young people to become self-reliant and contributing members of the society. YES Network Pakistan has been implementing its projects in partnership with several local and international organizations.
YES and the British Council Pakistan have been working together since 2008 to promote Social Entrepreneurship among TVET sector in Pakistan. British Council considers YES as “one of the most trusted partners” in the Pakistan. YES Network Pakistan has been working with religious minorities since 2008. According to Catholic Board of Education, “YES is our most valued partner. YES has brought huge change in our institutions. It has opened the doors of our classrooms for innovation, creativity and collective action.” British Council. (2012). YES Network Pakistan Partners Satisfaction Questionnaire.
The work of YES is featured in the publications produced by the Planning Commission of Pakistan. YES and USAID forged a unique partnership in 2014 to deliver Social Entrepreneurship education and opportunities to the leading ‘Higher Education Institutions’ in Balochistan and Gilgit-Baltistan.
Image credit: YES
Another evidence of the effectiveness and innovativeness of YES methodology came forward when in March, 2012 British Council conducted a third party evaluation of its project ‘Youth Social Enterprise Challenge in TVET’ as executed by YES Pakistan. The evaluation reported that 93% of the respondents believed that the project had benefited them by developing their entrepreneurship skills, enabling them to start their own business, improving their confidence level and enhancing their team building skills. The evaluation also confirmed that 93.3% of the respondents had started their own business after participating in the project.
The project “Social Enterprise Competition for Peace in Schools” is an outcome of the challenges faced by youth in the country, which is full of violence of all kinds. The project focuses on the need of experiential and participatory learning for youth for enhancing the overall learning outcome of turning them in entrepreneurs for peace.
The project aims at providing youth with opportunities for establishing social enterprises that could play an important role in helping deliver on projects for the promotion of peace. YES Network developed a very strong strategy, based on its previous experiences, for launching the competition/project in partnership with leading education groups/systems of the country. From the previous strategy of working with educational boards, YES Network has expanded its outreach to collaborations with higher education institutions around the country, for example the Karakoram International University.
Find out more about YES on ChangeMakers, Ashoka and Jeanne Sauve Foundation.
