Entrepreneurship is no longer only about starting a business. For many young people, it is also a way to create social and environmental impact.
The Global Entrepreneurship Monitor Global Report shows this clearly. Based on more than 160,000 interviews across 53 economies, the report highlights how entrepreneurship is growing globally, especially among people who want to make a difference (GEM, 2026).
Purpose Is Driving Entrepreneurship
One of the report’s most important findings is that 84% of early-stage entrepreneurs consider social and/or environmental impact when making business decisions (GEM, 2026)
This shows that today’s entrepreneurship is increasingly about purpose, not just profit. This is especially relevant for young people, who are often motivated to solve real community challenges through innovation.
But Barriers Still Exist
The GEM report also highlights important challenges:
These barriers show that young people need more than ideas. They need support, confidence, practical skills, and accessible learning opportunities.
Why Gamification is Part of the Answer
This is precisely where innovative non-formal learning approaches and in particular, gamification become essential. When young people are actively engaged, challenged, and encouraged to experiment, they learn more effectively. Gamified learning bridges the gap between entrepreneurial theory and real-world practice, transforming abstract concepts like problem solving, teamwork, decision-making, and creativity into interactive, meaningful experiences.
In the context of social entrepreneurship training, gamified approaches whether through challenge-based activities, simulations, or virtual escape rooms help young people test ideas in a safe environment, build confidence, and develop the mindset needed to create solutions with genuine social value
How this Connects to Our Project Goals
Our goal is to empower youth workers with the tools, methods, and resources they need to support young people in becoming active social innovators. The GEM findings reinforce the need for exactly the kind of hands-on, inclusive, and experience-based learning that our resources are designed to deliver.
Our training materials and gamified tools are built to address the very barriers GEM identifies: low entrepreneurial confidence, insufficient access to practical education, and a lack of structured pathways for young social entrepreneurs. By equipping youth workers with innovative methodologies, we aim to create the conditions in which young people’s ideas can not only emerge.
In this way, the GEM report confirms why projects like DEGSE are so important: young people are ready to create impact, but they need the right tools and support to turn ideas into action.
Read the full GEM report here: https://www.gemconsortium.org/reports/latest-global-report