About us
“You are not a drop in the ocean, you are the entire ocean in a drop”
Rumi
Our vision
At Youngstars we believe in the unlimited potential of young people to create a happy life and a prosperous future.
We design and implement personal development programs for young people (ages 12-25) that help them strengthening their character and sharpening their skills. Youngstars programs offer opportunities to foster self-confidence and self-efficacy and to develop skills that are highly valued in the marketplace, such as: creativity, critical thinking, communication and collaboration.
Coaching and mentoring are our way of communicating and supporting our teens. Our tools are in line with the 21st century education framework and include project base learning activities which make learners co-creators in the process of learning by doing.
Our vision is that young people feel competent, creative and agile, ready to adopt to everyday challenges, who enjoy the present and plan ahead with optimism!
Our values
Human beings are whole and complete, gifted with multiple intelligences. Our four-dimensional nature: body, mind, heart and soul, requires a holistic approach to well-being and growth. Everything starts with Know Thyself! Self-awareness and self-management are the key to unlocking our potential.
Taking action lies in the core of what we foster. We apply our creativity in solving problems everyday. Like Aristotle said, “we are what we repeatedly do”.
Meet Elena
I am Elena Michael and I would like to welcome you to Youngstars!
At Youngstars we believe in you and we want to support you create a prosperous future and a happy life.
Together with a team of professionals, we design and implement personal development programs for young people (ages 12-25). Our goal is to inspire and empower young people to explore their unlimited potential by strengthening their character and sharpening their skills.
After three successful summer programs, four series of workshops, hundreds of hours of individual and team coaching, and many happy and empowered teens, it is time to team up with schools and businesses and bring this unique learning experiences to young people everywhere.
I invite you to join us, either by supporting your child follow one or more of our programs, or by becoming a parent/educator or business contributor. I would love to hear from you and explain how.
Join us!
My story
As a person I would describe myself as a “restless spirit”, an “explorer”. I’ve always liked to search for new ideas, gain experiences, travel, meet people and learn from them.
After my studies in the United States, I worked for 15 years as a financial advisor in corporate finance and as a bank lending officer. During this time, I had the opportunity to perform company valuations and prepare listing procedures to the CSE, prepare business plans and feasibility studies of large projects and work in business development.
In 2013, I had the opportunity to contribute as a volunteer and mentor to the implementation of Junior Achievement programs in Cyprus. This experience was a turning point in my career! – I decided to work with young people on a professional basis. As Programs Coordinator for Junior Achievement Cyprus, I worked for the implementation of entrepreneurship, financial literacy and job market related skills in schools across Cyprus.
As a mother I know that every child is unique and has his/her own talents. By reinforcing the values and positive qualities of their character and developing their skills we can provide them with the tools to be competent and to create their path and feel happy.
As a Coach I believe in young people’s creativity and unlimited potential. In 2018, I founded Youngstars. I work with professionals form a variety of backgrounds who share the same passion for their work and for supporting young people .
Every day I witness how “soft skills” and a growth mindset, expand the learning experience and turn learners into doers. Like F. Roosevelt said “We cannot build the future for our youth, but we can build our youth for the Future”
Let’s work together to make our children “future ready”!
Our Guest STARS
“We teach who we are”
Parker Palmer
Actions speak louder than words. Children may not be the best listeners, but they are excellent imitators. For this reason we choose to inspire them by introducing them to professionals from a variety of backgrounds who share their passion for their work and “show” rather than “tell” their stories.
Our collaborators, or as we like to call them “our guest STARS” direct workshops and activities and enjoy being interviewed by our youngstars.
Sofia Papadopoulou
Bronze Olympic Athlete, Sailing
Andreas Araouzos
Actor & Theatre Director
Mikaella Theodoulidou
Actor, MA Drama & Theater in Education
Dr. Pavlina Charalambous
Psychology Professor, Coach
Despina Themistocleous
Educational Psychologist
Louis Patsalides
Presenter Actor, MA Drama & Theater in Education
Valentina Ierotheou
Educational Psychologist
Effie Kyrikakis,
Education Consultant, International NLP Trainer
Our Community
Every parent knows that “it takes a village to raise a child”. Our community of coaches, mentors, trainers and peers could not be complete without parents.
Beyond our parenting duties, we are individuals, professionals, experts in our field but primarily people who care. We care not only for our children but also for their friends and the society in which our children grow up. As our teenagers grow up, we continue to work as diligent gardeners, providing the conditions for them to blossom and keeping the “safety distance” that they need. If you have a great idea that you would like to share, please do not hesitate to give us a call.
If you would like to become a parent ambassador, you can:
- volunteer some of your time to give a speech,
- support an activity
- invite students at your workplace
- introduce one of our programs to your child’s school
Further more, if you have a business you can become a corporate partner either by offering young people opportunities for internships, leadership shadowing/interviews or learning by teaming up with Youngstars in your Corporate Social Responsibility program.
As a corporate partner you can:
- sponsor one of our existing programs to reach more young people,
- participate in one our Mentored Internship Programs
- team up with Youngstars to design and implement your own CSR program.
We can design together CSR programs and actions that have a positive social impact while at the same time help your organization build relationships of trust between your stakeholders and clients.
We offer project managment servises includuy coordination of program / event activities, communication with stakeholders, tracking of results and reporting on your impact.