February 25, 2013
February 19, 2013
The Agony of Entrepreneurship
By Lisa Jones
Last week, YouthActionNet Fellow Tom Dawkins, co-founder of StartSomeGood and founder of Vibe Wire, posted a piece on his blog that caught our attention: The Agony of Entrepreneurship.
Here at YouthActionNet, we have long been aware of the emotional
needs of young social entrepreneurs who made the bold decision to leave behind
newly-established careers and sacrificed their personal lives to further a
cause they believe in. Our fellows are environmentalists, architects, journalists,
health professionals, and business people. Their options are many, but they choose
to use their talents to better our world. Too often, they pay a price --
physically and emotionally -- as a result of myriad stresses
and overwork.Each year at our weeklong fellowship retreat, fellows open up about their lives as young social entrepreneurs. Their parents worry about their future; their friends wonder why they have no free time. Each of them has asked themselves: “Am I doing the right thing?” Young social entrepreneurs balance their passion to change lives with the daily grind of running an organization—and while they rarely dare ask for it, they need help with more than fundraising advice and business plans.
Today’s young leaders need a support system of like-minded individuals. They need to share their frustrations, celebrate their successes, and ask questions of people who have been in their position. They need a space to admit failure and be reminded that the failure of a project does not equal failure of self.
In his post, Tom explains:
“Entrepreneurship is a really hard road, filled with rejection, misunderstanding and self-doubt. You pour yourself into a project only to see the world disparage or, worst, ignore it. You must deal with people telling you to get a real job, with the stresses of poverty and uncertainty, with the constant possibility, indeed the likelihood, of total failure. But your job is to project constant positivity, to always be selling your vision and product, to inspire people to join you on this mad mission.”
To learn more about why Tom believes a person must exist outside of the identity of his or her organization, read more. Also learn the Top 5 Reasons to Share your Leadership Journey.
February 12, 2013
February 11, 2013
How To Write Your Perfect Fellowship Application
You're young. You're changing the world. And you've decided to apply. Now what?
Every year for the past 12 years, YouthActionNet has been in
search of the world’s most outstanding social entrepreneurs under the age of
30. They are bright, engaging, creative, driven and endlessly enthusiastic
about the change they’re making each and every day. Now, we need your help
finding the next class of exceptional young leaders. Do you know someone who
fits this description? Is that person you? Who Can Apply?
Applicants must be 18-29 years old, proficient in English, and founders (or co-founders) of existing projects or leading a project within an organization. In addition, applicants must be able to demonstrate one year of impact and they must be available to attend a week-long, all expenses-paid leadership retreat in São Paulo, Brazil in October 2013. The deadline to apply is 11:59PM (EST) on March 17, 2013.
We pride ourselves on our commitment to diversity and
encourage applicants from all countries, backgrounds, and educational levels to
apply. Our Class of 2012 had 20 fellows from 18 countries represented. We offer
an online application as well as a Word application to encourage applicants across
the internet access spectrum.
How Can You Stand Out?
You still have 5 weeks to apply to become a 2013 Laureate Global Fellow and we hope you'll spend the time to make your application memorable. To help you craft your perfect application, we've created a short 12-minute presentation to help walk you through some common mistakes and tips for success. Watch the video now to help write your perfect fellowship application. Once you're ready, start your application.