TEDxYSE: Sixth Speaker Announced!

We’re really excited to announce the sixth speaker for TEDxYSE…Seaon Shin!

Seaon Shin, 19, is the founder of Global Youth Empowering Movement, which links youth together globally to collaborate on service projects for the betterment of humanity. A Korean-American living in Dubai, Seaon discovered that changemaking gave her a sense of belonging and self-purpose. Seaon realized many teens wanted to engage in social change but didn’t know how, so she created an online support network for youth to collaborate and learn from each other. She is also working on a local level, organizing a youth center in Dubai to foster community and mobilize youth to learn, investigate, and act on social problems. “Youth have so much potential to do amazing things,” she says. “All they need is to be connected together to make a positive impact.” Click here to learn more about Seaon’s work.

Come hear Seaon speak! Register now.

Bringing your Venture into your school

As Venturers you guys are probably well aware about all the online resources available for you to make your work easier! If you aren’t you need to contact us immediately  We recently came across an article that talks about all the cool platforms available that could help you bring social entrepreneurship into your classrooms! These are simple platforms that help classrooms across the globe raise money for a cause, collaborate with other classrooms, and develop friendships with people on the other side of the world. Click here to read more about them! And then use them to bring your Venture into your school!

Amway Positivity Project Prizes

Have your positive actions had an impact on others? If so then check out the Amway Positivity Project! It is a great opportunity to tell your story to the world. The Amway Positivity Project is about advancing the power of positive in the world. In highlighting everyday stories of how positivity has made a difference in people's lives. Share your power of positive story, and enter to win the $10,000 grand prize or one of nine $2,500 prizes - all intended to support you and your amazing work. You can share your story through video, pictures, essay, illustration or poetry - it's up to you. The deadline is approaching soon. Apply now!
Deadline: October 17

100 Best Communities for Young People

In a celebration of America’s young people and the communities most dedicated to helping local youth graduate from high school, America’s Promise Alliance has announced its 2010 list of 100 Best Communities for Young People. This year, more than 350 communities in all 50 states and Washington, DC, were nominated for the 100 Best competition. The winners come from 37 states and 30 are first-time recipients of the honor. Wondering if you live in one of the 100 Best Communities for Young People? Click here to find out!

YV Team Spotlight: Lara Mitra, Empower Magazine!

Rachel Centariczki

Youth Venturer Lara Mitra of Empower Magazine interviewed three awesome individuals this month! Empower is a community service magazine that aims to inspire kids, teens, and adults to give by sharing experience from around the globe! They interviewed Jane Goodall, who we all know as the famous primatologist spending most of her life working with chimpanzees. Bart Weetjens, the director at the APOPO Landmine Center in Tanzania and an Ashoka Fellow. Also Rachel Centariczki, our very own YV staff member!! Goodall explained the importance of protecting animals, especially when it comes to reducing animal testing. Bart Weetjens gave great insight to the new world of using rats to detect landmines. These rats save lives by finding exactly where landmines are located, especially in African countries! Rachel Centariczki, a YV staff member, shared her amazing experiences with the Peace Corps, AmeriCorps, and Ashoka's Youth Venture Program! She shared some incredible stories about her time in Micronesia. Click here to find out more!

Facebook founders donates $100 Million to Newark Public Schools!

The founder of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, is donating $100 million to Newark, New Jersey's Public Schools! Despite 15 years of state control, the Newark schools have test scores and graduation rates that are among the lowest in New Jersey. With this donation, the Newark Mayor, Cory Booker, will regain some control of the school system, with the understanding that the governor has the right to regain control. Read More>>

Project Ignition: Best of the Best

Did you know that car crashes are the number 1 killers of Teens?! There is a new grant opportunity for students in grades 9 through 12 with their teachers or advisers to come together and work to create a campaign to help teen driver safety in their own communities. Sponsored by State Farm® and coordinated by the National Youth Leadership Council® (NYLC), comes Project Ignition.  Ideas are not limited!  The only requirement is that students make a change in their community in the most creative way possible!  The top ten schools in the nation chosen will receive $5,000 to cover expenses to attend the National Sevice-Learning Conference. Check out the School Showcase, for some awesome ideas! Or click here to apply!

Deadline: November 15, 2010

Educating America

We all know that some schools in the US are better than others...but did you know that since 1971 the US has more than doubled the amount of money it spends on each student? Yet it's students still produce some of the worst science and math scores among the world's rich nations. How could this be? The new movie, Waiting for Superman, releasing today, not only explains the problems in our school systems, but also gives us solutions! Also this weeks TIME Magazine features schools, the education system, and the movie on their front page! The ball is rolling, and it looks like there might be change coming! Click here to read the article!

Tune in Now! Obama delivers closing remarks at the Clinton Global Initiative Annual Meeting

The Clinton Global Initiative Annual Meeting is a three day meeting created by former President Bill Clinton to create change!  He saw that governments need help from the private businesses, non-governmental organizations and other global leaders to successfully work on the world's immediate problems.  CGI creates the opportunity to gather individuals and organizations to come together and create action.  Already, the members have contributed $57 billion dollars!  This afternoon, President Obama is going to close the three day event at 4pm.  Click here to watch it live!

The Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes: YV Winners announced!

The Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes honors outstanding leaders, age 8 to 18, who have made a significant positive difference to people and our planet! Each year, the Barron Prize selects ten National Winners, and ten Honor Roll of Heroes Winners. This year they received over 400 applicants from across the nation! National Winners of the Barron Prize receive a $2,500 cash award, and their inspiring achievements are highly publicized. Honor Roll of Heroes Winners receive a certificate of recognition. We are proud to announce three national winners and two honor roll of heroes winners are YouthVenturers! The National Winners include David Sanchez, Alec Loorz, and Chloe Maxmin. The two honor roll of heroes winners are Clay McMullen and Rebecca Kantar. In the coming days we are going to be interviewing these amazing kids to bring their stories to you. Stay tuned for more info! Read More>>

The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards

This is a great opportunity for all of our young people across the country! Prudential Financial, Inc. & the NASSP are honoring outstanding community service at the local, state, and national level! They're looking for young people across the US who have distinguished themselves through volunteer activities in their community. We want to give you the recognition that you deserve. There are so many chances to win, and many awesome prizes! The national winners get to come to the recognition event in Washington DC!
Last year, our Youth Venturer, Erwin Sweetwine won! He was recognized for raising money to provide food and school supplies for the poor village of Thembeletu, South Africa. How did he do this? He sold handcrafted bead jewelry made by the villagers themselves! He even raised awareness, while raising money by selling crafted AIDS pins at a major AIDS/HIV walk in Washington DC. We know you're awesome too! Click here to apply!
Deadline: November 1st, 2010

The Girl Effect: New Video released!

The power and role of video is building movements in phenomenal. Girleffect.org is the perfect example of this! Thier first video "The Girl Effect" brought the worlds attention to the role of girls and women in tackling poverty. For the longest time this was one of our favorite videos on the web. This week they released their new video at the Clinton Global Initiative Summit in NYC. This video is called "The Clock is Ticking" and might be even better than the first. Click here to watch the new video!

Meet our Amazing Partners: Grassroots.org

Are you having trouble creating a website? Do you need some help marketing your need for funds? Grassroots.org is the perfect resource for you! They provide valuable technologies, resources and business services to non-profits. Here are a few of the awesome services: web design, graphic design, language translation, and online marketing. Most importantly, they provide help with: project consulting for social ventures!

As one of our valuable partners, Grassroots.org generously allows all Youth Venturers to access its services FREE of cost.

Interested in this opportunity? E-mail us at yvfellowship@youthventure.org today!

TEDxYSE: Fifth Speaker Announced!

We’re getting close to the end of our competition and starting to gear up for TEDxYSE on November 13th. We’ve had so many wonderful applicants, the decisions are getting tough to make! We were, however, really impressed with Rocco Falconer , our fifth winner!

Rocco Falconer, 22, is the founder of Planting Promises, a community based organization in Sierra Leone that develops the prospects of the world’s poorest country by giving local people the opportunity to create sustainable business and pursue their education. Planting Promises’ innovative model not only creates meaningful jobs with high social value, but also creates a financially stable model for education. His travels in eastern and southern Africa made him think about how to deliver lasting, sustainable change for the poorest people in the world.

If you are as inspired by Rocco's work as we are and would like to learn more about it come to TEDxYSE on November 13th in Washington DC! Register now. We'll see you there!

Nestlé’s The Very Best in Youth Award

Do you think you are a strong student, and have made an awesome contribution to your community? We know you have! Now we have a great way to give back to you! The Nestlé Very Best in Youth Foundation spotlights the best in youth leadership. The program identifies teens whose efforts are making a profound impact in lives other than their own. And guess what...Look what you can get! Winners will receive: A trip to Los Angeles, California, with a parent or guardian for a 3 night, 4 day adventure! A check for $1000 to donate to a charity of the recipient's choice, and so much more!

Dylan Mahalingham, Alexander Lin, Sejal Hathi and Talia Leman, four of our Youth Ventures won last year, so you can too! Talia began her awesome Venture RandomKid in 2005 after Hurricane Katrina/ Rita Relief. She started an online organization where she combines the fundraising of kids, youth groups, and school donate to work towards a common goal. She also comes up with other ways to raise money, and has so far raised more than $10 million for relief! Click here to apply or read some more stories!
Deadline: November 1st, 2010

Twitter Skills Needed!

Wouldn’t it be great to kick off the week on a good foot? We have a fun and easy way to do it - I’m excited to announce that Staples is leading a campaign to help several non-profits…including Ashoka! All you have to do is follow Staples on Twitter between now and September 30th, at http://bit.ly/ahciIQ.

For every new follower, Staples will donate $1 to a citizen sector organization of your choice (think Ashoka). Staples will donate up to $25,000, so start spreading the word! Read More>>

Disney Friends for Change Grant

Disney’s Friends for Change Grants is meant to help youth that are making environmentally friendly changes in their communities. Grants are open to schools, organizations and individuals planning service projects and will focus on projects implemented by children ages 5-18. If this sounds like your Venture consider applying today! Click here to find out more.

A Pep Talk from Will Smith!

Because we love Will Smith!

ViewChange: Online Film Contest!

We watched a couple of films on this website and were so inspired that we had to share! The ViewChange Online Film Contest consists of powerful five-minute films that tell stories of progress in developing countries. Discover how the world is working together to implement innovative solutions to help meet the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)! This film about a rising youth movement in El Salvador is one of my favorites! Click here to check out the rest and vote for your favorite!

Benjamin Franklin was a social entrepreneur too! Tips from the founder himself

Now we all know who Benjamin Franklin was…he invented bifocals, lightning rods, and stoves. He also established the first fire departments, police departments and universities. Benjamin Franklin was in fact America’s most prominent innovator for the public good, and our founding social entrepreneur! Franklin was a very important piece in history, establishing socially innovative ventures as lasting part of American society. He even brought other civil-minded groups to thrive, which was an 18th century precedent to Youth Venture! How did he do this? Fortunately he left us some clues….check them out here!

YV Team Spotlight: A Spring of Hope

This past summer, Youth Venture Team A Spring of Hope participated in the Chase Community Giving Challenge, hosted on facebook, and won $100,000! The team builds wells in rural African schools to improve community health conditions and to promote education at a grassroots level. With this money they were able to drill two more wells in South Africa in July. In total they will use the money to create 12 wells and change thousands of lives.

By now I am sure you’ve noticed that funding through online competitions like the Chase Community Giving Challenge is rapidly expanding! There are many opportunities out there for your team to use these competitions to support your cause. Its time to make the internet work for you!

UnitedHealth Heroes Service Learning Grant

The UnitedHealth HEROES program is a service-learning, health literacy initiative created by UnitedHealth Group and Youth Service America. The grant is aimed specifically at Ventures that focus on local, hands-on programs to fight childhood obesity. Your Venture must also engage other young people, be a semester-long, and launch on Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service and finish on Global Youth Service Day. If you happen to be one of the lucky few that is eligible, do apply! Deadline: October 22, 2010.

YV Team Spotlight: Paramus Freedom Walks

On Sunday September 5, Youth Venturer Joey Rizzolo and his team organized their 4th annual Paramus Freedom Walk. Over 600 people attended the event! Paramus, NY which is ten miles from New York City and suffered great losses on September 11, 2001. Joey and his team members started their Venture to give the people of their town an opportunity to gather together and remember. This year's freedom walk was dedicated to Sgt. Chris Hrbek of Westwood, NJ. He was a marine who gave his life while serving the United States in Afghanistan. Find out more about Joey and his Venture here!

MTV Tr3s Agentes De Cambio: Winners from the Sunshine State!

Students Working for Equal Rights from Miami, FL

SWER is a student movement founded by undocumented youth who were brought to the United States at a very young age and grew up here. After high school graduation, their future is uncertain because they can't pursue a higher education because they have to pay out of state tuition. They also can't work legally because they don't have proper documentation. The Venture works hard to mobilize and give a voice to undocumented youth! Watch their video to learn more about their inspirational work:

MTV Tr3s Agentes De Cambio: Winners from the East Coast!

Agestes De Cambio targets Ventures that address issues that affect US Hispanic Communities. Winners received $1,000 to scale their Ventures and will soon have their inspirational stories featured on Tr3s!

Youth Leadership Council (NYSYLC) from Queens, NY

This Venture team works on improving access to higher education and creating equal opportunity for immigrant youth, regardless of immigration status, through leadership development, organizing and advocacy. They are slowly but surely creating an immigrant youth movement in support of the Dream Act, which if passed would offer immigrant youth a path to legalization. Read more>>

MTV Tr3s Agentes De Cambio: Winners from the West Coast!

We at Youth Venture have long been partners with MTV. After all, they are fun, young, and care about the world! Last month, we worked together to organize the Agentes De Cambio competition. Many amazing entries came in. And now its time to announce the winners! We’ll start with the west coast……..









Dons Net Cafe from Santa Barbara, CA.

Dons Net Cafe is a student run social entrepreneurial business run out of Santa Barbara High School. Students teach students how to do taxes under the supervision of their teacher Ms. B. and IRS Agent Bob Corea. They save their communities thousands of dollars, and help immigrants get an ITIN (Individual Tax Identification Number), which is the first step in their residency process. The team’s logo is this chicken you see on the top. Wondering why? Read more>>