| EDUCATION | ||
| ENVIRONMENT |
National Center for Global Engagement
Washington, DC, United States
Marquis Brown co-founded the National Center for Global Engagement (NC4GE) to equip high potential, low-income students with global leadership skills, study abroad scholarships, foreign language instruction, and meaningful service and professional development opportunities. Recognizing that study abroad and international exchange programs are largely comprised of youth from privileged backgrounds, NC4GE seeks to remove obstacles to participation for students of color and provide additional skills to create globally competitive young leaders. Previously, Marquis founded the BrownBell Foundation to offer fellowships to talented students from minority backgrounds to study abroad at leading universities around the world to prepare them for leadership roles.
Learn more: www.nc4ge.org
Sabhanaz Rashid Diya, 22
One Degree Initiative Foundation
Dhaka, Bangladesh
With 45 percent of Bangladesh’s population under the age of 15, now is the time to prepare the emerging generation of youth with the skills they need to become active citizens, according to Sabhanaz Rashid Diya. Sabhanaz co-founded the One Degree Initiative Foundation to unite children and youth from diverse socioeconomic and religious backgrounds in exercising civil leadership. The basic premise behind One Degree is that even small changes in how people think and act can make a big difference. Through the initiative, young people, ages 13 to 26, serve as either mentors or mentees, working together to develop solutions to community challenges. Among those projects spearheaded by One Degree members is a mobile school for child domestic workers. While launched in Bangladesh, the initiative has been adapted by youth in Australia, the United States, Canada, Nepal, and Iraq.
Learn more: www.1di.org
Frank Fredericks, 25
World Faith
New York, United States
Frank Fredericks launched World Faith to mobilize religiously-diverse young adults to participate in service-learning projects, engage in interfaith dialogue, and utilize the media to counter religious extremism. World Faith demonstrates “how religion can inform work for unity and peace, rather than hate, war, and division,” says Frank, a musician who also serves as an online marketing and PR consultant. World Faith chapters in nine countries (e.g., Egypt, India, Lebanon, U.S.) address issues related to poverty, homelessness, women’s education, and refugee needs. Central to its approach is identifying and leveraging community assets. In 2010, World Faith mobilized over 300 volunteers, who completed more than 5,700 service hours.
Learn more: www.worldfaith.org
Oghenefego Isikwenu, 28
Women – Leadership & Economic Empowerment Project (Women – LEEP)
Asaba, Nigeria
Recognizing that women are often not accorded the same protections, rights, and roles as men – and are frequently denied opportunities for employment and education – Oghenefego Isikwenu founded Women-LEEP. Its goal: to empower young women with leadership and life skills to strengthen their decision-making and ability to take charge of their lives. Participants, ages 14 to 22, participate in a three-month training and mentoring program focused on developing their self-esteem and skills in such areas as decision-making, communication, negotiation, and goal-setting. At the end of the training, participants are supported in pursuing a vocational path and/or furthering their educational goals. Sixty percent of program beneficiaries have gone on to institutions of higher learning, with a majority of graduates volunteering their time as program facilitators and mentors.
Learn more: www.inspiro.9f.com
Catalina Ruiz Navarro, 28
Hoja Blanca
Bogatá, Colombia
Through Hoja Blanca, a print and online magazine co-founded by Catalina Ruiz Navarro, youth in Colombia have a creative outlet through which to express their views on politics, health, the arts, relationships, and a host of other issues. At the same time, Hoja Blanca provides aspiring young writers with the opportunity to develop their portfolio and establish themselves in the eyes of potential employers and/or publishers. Says Catalina, “We want to give young authors the chance to enrich the information spectrum and to offer new and diverse points of view.” Hoja Blanca currently features more than 30 regular bloggers and reaches an average of 700 readers a day. Established as a nongovernmental organization, Hoja Blanca also implements community projects, such as developing advocacy and educational materials related to reproductive rights and freedom of speech.
Learn more: www.hojablanca.net
Freeman Trebilcock, 23
InterAction Multifaith Youth Network
Daylesford, Australia
Since starting InterAction in 2008, Freeman Trebilcock has been laying the foundation for an Australian interfaith youth movement - bringing together youth from diverse cultural, spiritual, and religious backgrounds to enact social change. Through InterAction, young people engage in service projects and develop leadership skills. Says Freeman, “Our vision is a world where conflict is past, cooperation is present, and friendship is our future.” InterAction holds regular interfaith gatherings and events to encourage people to work together to achieve common goals. A recent clothing drive, for example, engaged a dozen faith communities and 30 youth volunteers in collecting 10 cubic meters of donations. In 2010, Freeman was recognized as a Young Social Pioneer by the Foundation for Young Australians, a member of the YouthActionNet® Global Network.
Learn more: www.interaction.org.au
Rodrigo Arnaud Bello, 28
Techamos Una Mano (Lend a Helping Hand)
Oaxaca, Mexico
In 2008, Rodrigo Arnaud Bello set out to address a major challenge in his home of Oaxaca, Mexico – the lack of a recycling industry. A year later, he founded the Techamos Una Mano (Lend a Helping Hand) project, which transforms milk and juice boxes and plastic bottles into building materials that are used to build homes for low-income families. The project engages student volunteers, age 15 to 20, who collect discarded materials and construct the homes. To date, Techamos Una Mano has completed ten houses with the students selling the excess waste they collect, including paper, aluminum, and glass, to companies to sustain the project’s efforts. In 2010, Rodrigo was honored as a Fellow of the UVM Prize for Social Development (Premio UVM) in Mexico. Now celebrating its 5th anniversary, Premio UVM is a national YouthActionNet® program managed by Universidad del Valle de Mexico and supported by the Sylvan/Laureate Foundation.
Learn more: www.tum.org.mx
Evodius Rutta, 27
Tanzania Youth Environmental Network
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Recognizing that most environmental problems in Africa stem from lack of education, particularly among young people, Evodius Rutta founded the Tanzania Youth Environmental Network (TAYEN). Its goal: to actively engage children and youth in environmental conservation initiatives. TAYEN establishes Youth Environmental Clubs in primary, secondary, and higher education institutions. The Clubs organize clean up campaigns and environmental programs, including tree plantings, film screenings, and workshops on climate change. To sustain TAYEN’s efforts, members have planted and raised 20,000 trees, which they sell to schools, government municipalities, and companies looking to ‘green’ their premises. Over the long-term, TAYEN seeks to prepare the next generation to be responsible leaders and decision-makers to ensure an environmentally-sustainable future for Tanzania.
Learn more: www.tayen.or.tz
Antonella Vagliente, 21
Toolkit for High Schools
Villa Maria, Argentina
Antonella Vagliente created the Toolkit for High Schools through the Water and Youth Movement in Argentina, a network of 20 environmentally-focused organizations. The toolkit provides young people with everything they need to carry out environmental projects in their communities, including an implementation guide, background on climate change, suggested activities, posters with environmental tips, stickers, and more. Students are encouraged to research and implement projects – e.g., awareness-building campaigns, tree plantings – in their schools and communities. To ensure the project’s sustainability, schools need to obtain sponsorship from a business or the local government to pay for the toolkit’s cost. To date, more than 40 high schools in 16 cities have worked with the toolkit, with institutions in five Latin American countries looking to adapt the material.
Marita Cheng, 22
Robogals
Melbourne, Australia
How do you get more young girls interested in careers in engineering and technology? If you’re Marita Cheng, you start with introducing them to the joy of robotics. Marita founded Robogals in 2008 while in her second year at the University of Melbourne. Through Robogals, volunteer university students teach girls LEGO robotics to get them excited. At the same time, they inform the girls about technology-related careers. Robogals’ activities include training university students to teach young girls; providing early school leavers with information about engineering careers; organizing events and competitions in rural areas, and hosting annual conferences. With 750 university student members, Robogals now has 16 chapters in Australia, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. Through its 2010 activities alone, Robogals reached 1,500 girls.
Learn more: www.robogals.org
Arundhuti Gupta, 25
Mentor Together
India
In India, traditional notions of mentoring involve an older guru imparting wisdom to a younger student, or shishya, through a top-down, one-way relationship. Seeking to reinvent how such relationships are carried out, Arundhuti Gupta founded Mentor Together in 2009. Its goal: to facilitate democratic and empowering relationships between committed volunteer mentors and underserved populations. “Disadvantaged youth need not only skills, but networks to help them feel less at the fringes of society,” says Arundhuti. Through Mentor Together, qualified mentors in Bangalore and Mysore are linked with disadvantaged youth. The mentors, many drawn from prominent corporations (e.g., IBM, Infosys), support the youth in improving their language skills, developing life skills, and pursuing their academic and career goals. Mentees in the yearlong program in Mysore state that their mentors have counseled them through times of distress, have given them the courage to stave off early marriage pressures, and the encouragement to realize their dreams.
Learn more, visit: www.mentortogether.org
Henrique Rocha Mendes, 22
Batuque Arte (Drumming Art)
São Paulo, Brazil
Henrique Rocha Mendes grew up loving music. Every weekend, he and his friends would play makeshift instruments in his backyard, attracting children from all over the neighborhood. Seeing their longing and enthusiasm, Henrique and his peers launched the Batuque Art project. Its goal: to engage young residents of the Pedreira community in cultural activities, while emphasizing key values such as sharing, caring, and respect for others. “Problems of poverty and crime and generally addressed through charity or law-enforcement,” says Henrique. “We teach positive values to children, who are often neglected and lack a strong sense of cultural identity.” Through the volunteer-led project, more than 230 children and teenagers benefit from percussion, singing, and folk-dancing workshops. In 2010, Henrique was honored as a Fellow of the Anhembi Morumbi Youth Initiative (IAM) in Brazil. Created with support from the Sylvan/Laureate Foundation and hosted by the Universidad Anhembi Morumbi, IAM is a member of the YouthActionNet® Global Network.
Learn more: www.batuquearte.com.br
Sheldon Smith, 22
Dovetail Project
Chicago, United States
As a young father who never had the chance to develop a relationship with his own father, Sheldon Smith founded the Dovetail Project in 2010. Through Dovetail’s 12-week training course, young African-American fathers, ages 15 to 24, learn about positive parenting and gain the life skills needed to be successful in school and the workforce. Dovetail also educates young fathers about felony street law to help them stay out of the legal system. Says Sheldon, “For young black males growing up with limited educational and employment opportunities, finding legitimate work can be challenging, leading to their disproportionate representation in the criminal justice system.” Through its partnership with the Chicago Area Project, Dovetail links program participants to full-time employment opportunities and the chance to learn a technical trade.
Learn more: www.thedovetailproject.org
Inés Cuatrecasas, 28
Atelier des mille collines ltd
Barcelona, Spain / Kigali, Rwanda
Long drawn to the people, culture, and textiles of Africa, Inés Cuatrecasas co-founded Atelier des mille collines ltd, a social enterprise that creates fashionable clothing and accessories in Rwanda that are sold in Africa, the U.S., and Europe. Sourcing its products from nearly 250 artisans, mille collines currently operates its own stores in Kigali, Rwanda and Nairobi, Kenya, while also distributing through larger multi-brand stores in the U.S. and Europe. Consumers in Spain purchase mille collines products through ‘pop up’ shops – temporary outlets that allow staff to interact with customers and engage them in learning about the company’s mission. Says Inés, “Our goal is not only selling. By designing, producing, and distributing high quality products, we expect to have an impact on the way products made in Africa are perceived.” In 2010, Inés received the UEM Prize for Young Social Entrepreneurs hosted by the Universidad Europea de Madrid and sponsored by the Sylvan/Laureate Foundation. The UEM Prize is part of the YouthActionNet® Global Network.
Learn more: www.millecollines.es
Aysegul Guzel, 28
Zumbara (Time Bank)
Istanbul, Turkey
Through the Zumbara (Time Bank) project, Aysegul Guzel has created an alternative economy using a social network to enable individuals to exchange services without the use of money. Through Zumbara, individuals trade services and acts of goodwill, thereby emphasizing the value of time, reciprocity, and relationships. Aysegul starts by sensitizing people to the notion of a money-free economy through hosting community-building events such as “barter days,” film screenings, and picnics. She also utilizes social media to distribute relevant messages and connect members of the Zumbara community. Zumbara has established a “piggy bank” system, whereby an individual can offer to help another for an hour and ‘bank’ a free hour in return. To date, more than 1,300 people have joined the Zumbara community, with over 90 service exchanges facilitated. In 2010, Aysegul received the Bilgi Young Social Entrepreneur Award in Turkey. The award, which is carried out through a partnership among Istanbul Bilgi Univeristy, the Sylvan/Laureate Foundation, and the Education Volunteers Foundation of Turkey (TEGV) is part of the YouthActionNet® global network.
Learn more: www.zumbara.com
Ivan Cyril Sayre, 23
Jed Christian Sayre, 23
Ecosan Club – Philippines
Manila, Philippines
Ivan Sayre and his cousin Jed Sayre co-founded the Ecosan Club to promote simple, low-cost solutions to health, sanitation, and soil fertility problems in their rural community in Mindanao. Through Ecosan, local youth receive training in how to transform human waste into high-grade organic fertilizer that is used in gardens and to promote agro-forestry. The youth benefit from generating income, while reducing the spread of disease, minimizing water contamination, and improving biodiversity through addressing the issue of open defecation. To date, Ecosan has constructed 10 arborloo toilets benefiting 50 local villagers. Home garden production is on the rise, with community members no longer needing to purchase expensive fertilizer from outside their community.
Benjamin Sunday, 27
Foundation for Youth Development
Rubirizi-Bushenyi, Uganda
Through the Foundation for Youth Development, Benjamin Sunday empowers rural youth as leaders through training them to develop innovative solutions to local challenges. In the Kataara community, Benjamin worked with local villagers and key stakeholders to address the challenge of elephant crop-raiding. As a solution, community members established a beekeeping enterprise along Kataara’s border with a national park that both generates income and increases crop harvests given that elephants fear bees. Benjamin has organized 60 community members in Kataara into a Village Savings and Loan, enabling farmers to access micro-credit to purchase beehives and invest in the community’s beekeeping enterprise. In addition to selling honey and wax from the bees, villagers are now using their farms and the hives to promote local agro-tourism.
Learn more: www.foundationforyouthdevelopment.blogspot.com
Gabriel Bastardo, 29
La Guia del Inmigrante (The Immigrant’s Guide)
Spain
Gabriel Bastardo created La Guia del Inmigrante (The Immigrant’s Guide) as a mass media magazine to further social integration and facilitate meaningful connections among individuals from diverse cultures. The print magazine is now distributed in 27 cities across Spain, while the online version attracted more than 21,500 visitors in 59 countries in just its first six months. Through its “Integrating the concerns of all of us” campaign, the Guide encourages readers to engage in voluntary service activities. Gabriel and his team have also held “Integration Talks” at more than 20 public schools and are developing a multicultural, Internet-based TV program that will tell the stories of Latin American immigrants to Spain. In 2009, Gabriel was honored with the UEM Prize for Young Social Entrepreneurs. The award, which is part of the YouthActionNet® global network, is supported by the Sylvan/Laureate Foundation and managed by the Universidad Europea de Madrid.
Learn more: www.laguiadelinmigrante.org
Andeisha Farid, 27
Afghan Child Education and Care Organization
Kabul, Afghanistan
Three decades of war have resulted in 1.6 million orphans growing up in Afghanistan. Recognizing that traditional orphanages often lead to children feeling separated and isolated from society at large, Andeisha Farid founded the Afghan Child Education and Care Organization (AFCECO). AFCECO provides orphaned refugee children with a nurturing home where they build and strengthen ties to their community and extended family. Says Andeisha, “Here children begin a new life based on peace, love, and respect.” Through AFCECO’s training academy, youth gain leadership skills and receive support in pursuing a university education. AFCECO now operates 11 orphanages in Afghanistan and Pakistan, serving 600 children and youth.
Learn more: www.afceco.org
Oke Temitope, 25
SECO Project
Ikeja, Nigeria
Recognizing that economic dependence and poverty seriously impact the well being of sexual minorities, Oke Temitope co-founded the SECO Project to train Men Who Have Sex With Men (MSM) in core life and vocational skills. SECO pursues a socio-economic approach to empowering MSM, who are among the most at risk for HIV infection in Nigeria. “Young people who have some sort of financial income have showed greater self-esteem as well as negotiation skills for safer sex,” says Oke. SECO conducts trainings on life and vocational skills, healthy relationships, and sexuality and human rights, while managing a network of 40 peer educators who distribute HIV-prevention messages. The SECO Project is a program of The Initiative for Equal Rights (TIER)), a Nigerian nongovernmental organization.
Learn more: www.initiative4equality.org
