Youth Venture National Newsletter November 2008

In This Issue

Golden Opportunities

YV Nation

In Your Neck of the Woods

Venture Spotlight

YV Global

Quick Links

GenV.net About Youth Venture

YV Mid-Atlantic YV Mid-West

YV New England YV New York and Virtual

YV National YV Seattle YV Digital

Donate Now 

Dear Kristin,  The 2008 Election is here! And so are the results are in from Best Buy's @15 IMO (In My Opinion) survey- you might be surprised to learn what teenagers from all over the US had to say about the 2008 presidential election....

- 8 out of 10 teens feel like they aren't heard by adults in general.- 7 out of 10 teens said they were "pessimistic about the future."- More than 60 percent said that the economy is the top issue to the presidential candidates should be discussing.

Just last week the presidential candidates, John McCain and Barack Obama, both made comments regarding @15:"Because today's teenagers will be tomorrow's leaders, we need to listen to what this next generation has to say." -Senator John McCain "I'm proud to support programs like @15 that encourage teens to join the conversation about the future they want for themselves and for their country." -Senator Barack Obama Best Buy's partnership with Youth Venture continues to promote youth leadership through the @15 Challenge.  In December, 30 Venture Team finalists will compete in an online youth vote to win 15, $10,000 grant to expand their impact.  Check out the results of the @15 IMO survey and share your voice (speak up, America!) by joining the IMO discussion at www.at15.org   Even if you're one of the millions of young people who don't have a vote you can still be a leader in making positive social change for yourself and your community with help from Youth Venture. Go to www.GenV.net to learn more. Sincerely, Youth Venture

Golden OpportunitiesTake advantage of these great grants, programs, and scholarships!  Calling Youth Media Producers! YOUTH PRODUCING CHANGE Armed with digital cameras, computers and their own boundless creativity -young people across the globe are bravely exposing human rights issues faced by themselves and their communities. The Human Rights Watch International Film Festival in partnership with Adobe Youth Voices seeks youth-produced film, video and animated media works by youth ages 19 and younger on human rights issues for its second annual YOUTH PRODUCING CHANGE program. Selected films will be screened in their New York, London, Boston and San Francisco film festivals in 2009-10. Deadline: December 10, 2008http://www.hrw.org/iff/2008/submission.html    MTV Exiled- No Need to be Spoiled to Apply.

Live the good life and do good as part of the "Your Turn to Get Exiled" sweepstakes. The United Nations Foundation is partnering with MTV to give fans of the MTV hit show, Exiled, a chance to embrace their inner

Angelina - and win two tickets to attend the MTV 2009 Movie Awards and and/or a chance to win another trip to Africa with the UN Foundation's Nothing But Nets campaign- a global, grassroots effort to prevent malaria. It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for young people in America to connect with young people around the world - their issues, their dreams and their challenges. Deadline: December 31, 2008http://www.unfoundation.org/global-issues/exiled.html   ScholarshipThe Gates Millennium Scholars Program (GMS), funded by a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, was established in 1999 to provide outstanding, low income African American, American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian Pacific Islander American, and Hispanic American students with an opportunity to complete an undergraduate college education in any discipline area of interest. Continuing Gates Millennium Scholars may request funding for a graduate degree program in one of the following discipline areas: education, engineering, library science, mathematics, public health or science.The goal of GMS is to promote academic excellence by providing thousands of outstanding students, who have significant financial need, the opportunity to reach their full potential. GMS offers leadership development programs with distinctive personal, academic and professional growth opportunities including mentoring services and an online resource center that provides up-to-date information on internship, fellowship, and scholarship opportunities, as well as graduate and post-graduate resources and conferences. Deadline: January 12, 2009http://www.gmsp.org/  2009 Growing Up CEO Call for Entries

The Initiative for a Competitive Inner City (ICIC) is now accepting nominations and applications for the 2009 Growing Up CEO program, a program which celebrates the remarkable

achievements of young men and women leading inner city companies across the country and around the world.Each year, twenty-five US and five international CEOs, all under the age of 21, are chosen as winners of this unique award. As Growing Up CEOs, these young leaders receive an all expenses paid trip to Boston for the Inner City 100 Summit and join a community where they can network, share best practices, and develop new ideas about entrepreneurship.If you know of an outstanding young CEO who deserves to be recognized, please click here. The deadline for nominations is December 31, 2008. Nominations will not be accepted after this date.If you are an outstanding young CEO who wants to build your network and your company, please click here. Applications will not be accepted after the deadline. All international applicants must have a valid

passport at the time of application. Deadline: January 31, 2009- US, December 31, 2008- International http://www.icic.org/site/c.fnJNKPNhFiG/b.3441497/k.907D/Growing_Up_CEO.htm  Want more information about scholarships, programs, and grants? Many more are listed on GenV.net. Check out the following links: Opportunities for Venturers and Grants and Scholarship Opportunities for Venturers.

YV Nation    Global Entrepreneurship Week For one week, November 17 - 23, 2008, millions of young people around the world will join a growing movement of entrepreneurial people to generate new ideas and to seek better ways of doing things. Engaging young people in school, at home, on the web and at work, dozens of countries are coming together for the first time to host Global Entrepreneurship Week - an initiative to inspire young people to embrace innovation, imagination and creativity. To think big. To turn their ideas into reality. To make their mark.Global Entrepreneurship Week will connect young people everywhere through local, national and global activities designed to help them explore their potential as self-starters and innovators. Students, educators, entrepreneurs, business leaders, employees, non-profit leaders, government officials and many others will participate in a range of activities - online and face-to-face - to harness the energy of social networking, to connect people taking action in their local and global communities and to celebrate entrepreneurship across the globe.Through this initiative, the next generation of entrepreneurs will be inspired and emerge. In doing so, they will begin to acquire the knowledge, skills, networks and values needed to grow innovative, sustainable enterprises that have a positive impact on their lives and the lives of those around them. Get involved in Global Entrepreneurship Week here. 

Fall CompetitionsThe Staples Youth Social Entrepreneur Competition and the Best Buy @15™ Challenge with Youth Venture application processes are now closed. YV is currently tabulating the results of the finalists. Check www.GenV.net regularly for updates.  Visit GenV.net to find out about other exciting programs that Youth Venture is sponsoring!

 

 Change is inevitable.Change is constant. ~ Benjamin Disraeli

 Change your thoughts, and you change your world. ~ Norman Vincent Peale

 Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world. ~ Nelson

Mandela  

In Your Neck of the Woods  Georgia & Massachusetts  Nike opened their newest store in Atlanta, GA on November 1. The Atlanta store is one of several that will promote the Gamechangers "sport for social change" initiative, which Nike is launching with help from YV. Nike Gamechangers is the search for the heroes of tomorrow, young athletes who use sport to BEAT the issues that they care about most.  

Kayla, from Team Ultimate, was flown to Atlanta, GA for the grand opening of Nike's newest retail store. Kayla and her Venture were showcased during the event as a result of her inspiring and impressive efforts to teach athleticism, leadership and the importance of team work, confidence, and self-respect, through the sport of Ultimate Frisbee. For periods of 8 weeks at a Girls Inc. of Worchester, MA, Team Ultimate holds weekly mentoring and team-building sessions for inner city preadolescent girls. Kayla and teammate Amanda have already reached dozens of girls in their community since launching Team Ultimate in 2006, as a result of Youth

Venture's partnership with United Way of North Central Massachusetts and Mount Wachusett Community College. Along with Youth Venture, US Nike retail "Athletes" (employees) will begin engaging thousands of youth like Kayla and Amanda in their local communities through sport and social change. Through this process each store will begin to launch Youth Venture teams built on the biggest and best ideas that youth generate to improve their community through sport. Check out other sports Ventures like Team Ultimate and learn more about the YV-Nike partnership here.   

Access your neck of the woods~ New England, Minneapolis, New York, Seattle, DC, Virtual  ~to share ideas, seek advice, and stay informed as to what is going on in your broader community to help to grow and sustain your Venture.

Venture Spotlight Starring: 

Transform America ~ New York, NY Transform America, a social justice coalition that creates collaboration opportunities among student groups, community organizations and non-profits; held their second annual Social Justice Park Party event in Fort Greene Park in Brooklyn, NY on Saturday, October 25th. The event was celebration and gathering to promote social justice, recruit activists, and advance their campaign for better education in NYC. The goals of the Park Party were to educate and recruit members to Transform America's cause and help increase their Venture's visibility in order to reach their objectives of making college affordable, recruiting 100 mentors, creating 25 new Youth Councils and developing a mission statement for the Department of Education.Transform America recognized Youth Venture as an important part of their success by inviting us to participate in the Park Party. The event also included free BBQ, a graffiti wall, fashion show, break-dancing competition and musical performances featuring Jahstix, Ra Hendrix, Spiritchild and more!Join their cause and practice similar efforts for your own Venture's success by visiting www.transformamerica.org  Shout OutAbove It is a hangout in the virtual world of Teen Second Life where teens can have fun while learning about drugs and substance abuse. Weekly DJ dance parties and other events will feature games and activities that teach about the dangers of drug abuse. The Above It Venture Team, led by Justin, a middle school student from Staten Island, New York, decided to create the Venture after noticing that their peers are often unaware of how drugs can harm their bodies.Above It held an official launch party bash on November 1st in their newly constructed space in Teen Second Life. Roughly 50 teens from around the world came to dance, chat, and learn about the mission of Above It.Congrats, Above It, on your successful launch party! Welcome to the YV community!Check out this Team at www.genv.net/en-us/team/above_it  Submit your Venture to yvfellowship@youthventure.org  for consideration in future Newsletter issues.

Learn about changemakers and Venture Teams just like you. Compose an Action Plan to start your own Venture. Chat with other Venturers via Forums.

YV Global  ArgentinaThe first Southern Cone Avancemos gathering took place from September 23rd to 28th in Chapadmalal, in Buenos Aires province. The gathering took place within the frame of the Annual Week for the Rights of Young People, which convoked 800 youth from all over Argentina and other Latin American countries.The main goal of the Avancemos gathering was for participants. Moreover, the event sought to foster the global movement starting from the regional level. During 6 days, eighty Venturers from 15 cities in Argentina and Chile had the opportunity to meet, talk, play, discuss and reflect about their experiences.

During various sessions, participants had the chance to share their experiences as young changemakers, advance their Ventures and discuss the important role young people play in our society. Additionally, they exchanged ideas and concerns with two Ashoka fellows, Julio Vacaflor, who led a memorable workshop on communication, and Jorge Strada, and discussed with them the challenges of being a young changemaker and of scaling up their Ventures.By the end of the gathering, people felt motivated, excited and very proud of being part of a global youth community that really believes in the power of young people to bring about social change. Throughout the event, participants kept repeating very strongly, "YES, WE CAN!" One participant said, "It is a relief to know that there are many other people on the

same path, trying to build a better, more human world where we would all like to live. It is beautiful to see that people from all over the world are sharing what they do, what they dream, what they want." The positive energy was SO strong and it was reflected in a song written to thank Ashoka Avancemos for giving them the opportunity to dream and to do, and for making them more aware of their power as young changemakers.

Youth Venture Contact Information1700 North Moore Street Suite 2000Arlington, VA 22209Phone: 703.527.4126yvfellowship@youthventure.org GenV.net-Youth Venture National Office

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