ObjectiveWorldwide, 357.7 million youth were not in education, employment, or training in 2010. Since then, this astronomical number has only increased (WorldBank 2012). The youth unemployment crisis calls for innovative solutions.The proposed project, Youth Entrepreneurship Program and Exchange (YEPE), is such a solution. The key objective: to stimulate job creation through supporting youth entrepreneurship. This is very much in line with European strategies: The Europe 2020 strategy recognizes entrepreneurship and self-employment as key for achieving smart, sustainable and inclusive growth. The Erasmus+ Programme pursues policy priorities that promote young people’s social inclusion and well-being through projects tackling the issue of youth unemployment.The project will seamlessly tie into Youth-Co, an initiative by CYFI. Youth-Co is an online platform that supports young entrepreneurs from around the world with blogs, online learning resources, online community, coaching and funding opportunities. The project will also connect youth entrepreneurship organizations from Ghana, Kenya, the Philippines and the Netherlands (16-30 years old) through an innovative capability building program. The project designThe capability building program combines 3 core strategies:• Online + offline training, mentoring, and networking• Exchange of experiences and best practices• Training the trainersThe main components of the project are:• April 2015 – April 2016: Monthly online classes; Continuous one-on-one mentoring by experienced professionals; Local workshops/trainings; Access to the online Youth-Co community and resources• October 2015: International Entrepreneurship Event (IEE) – 30 entrepreneurs and 9 program managers from Partner countries and 10 entrepreneurs from the Netherlands will take part in a one-week intense training event at the Impact Hub Amsterdam• November-April 2015: Partners are invited to the CYFI Regional Meetings in Africa, Asia and Europe and the buddy system will be in placeImpact and sustainabilityDirect impact: The project aims to directly impact >500 young (aspiring) entrepreneurs by giving them access to resources in the Youth-Co community, coaching, local events, etc. 40 entrepreneurs and 6 program managers will take part in the project’s flagship event: The International Entrepreneurship Event.Indirect impact and sustainability: The program’s design allows for a multiplier effect in many ways: The IEE participants will be trained to organize workshops for fellow entrepreneurs at home; a peer to peer system joins young entrepreneurs on a long term basis; the program managers learn best practices in supporting start-ups; entrepreneurs continue to be part of the Youth-Co platform after the program; and the collaborations between the partners will be strengthened and lead to follow up events and trainings. The results of the program will be shared at CYFI summits and will be a blueprint for other such projects.