For one week, 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. Countries across six continents are coming together to celebrate 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.
MSU Extension 4-H Youth Development has signed on to be a partner with Global Entrepreneurship Week, www.unleashingideas.org. This one week event, November 16-21, will highlight and feature youth entrepreneurship programming throughout our state, nation, and world.
In 2008, its inaugural year, Global Entrepreneurship Week involved more than 3 million participants, 100 countries, 25,000 activities, and 8,800 partners. Partners from more than 77 countries around the world participated, including Australia, Brazil, China, France, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan and Uganda. Organizations, ranging from large non-governmental to small community-based groups, held activities.
Global Entrepreneurship Week 2009 promises to be even bigger. A growing coalition of organizations is actively planning the week in more than 75 countries. Global Entrepreneurship Week will bring ideas to light and link them with enterprising, eager young minds, while addressing the world's leading problems, including climate change, poverty and sustainability. The possibilities are endless and the chance to inspire youth to be self-starters and innovators is unsurpassed. With the help of youth today, Michigan's future is looking brighter.
Global Entrepreneurship Week 2009 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, nonprofit leaders, government officials and many others will participate in a range of activities, from online to face-to-face, and from large-scale competitions and events to intimate networking gatherings.
Through this initiative, the next generation of entrepreneurs will be inspired and can emerge. In doing so, they will begin to acquire the knowledge, skills and networks needed to grow innovative, sustainable enterprises that have a positive impact on their lives, their families and communities.
Global Entrepreneurship Week 2008 was a great success and a brilliant example of what can be achieved by bringing together different ideas and cultures around the theme of enterprise. In 2009, we aim to unleash young people's ideas around the issues that matter most to society, from poverty reduction through to climate change, and to foster a global culture which recognizes entrepreneurs as drivers of economic and social prosperity.
MSU Extension 4-H is looking for leaders to assist in organizing and implementing an event during Global Entrepreneurship Week. Let's energize both youth and adults and help boost Michigan's economy. If you are interested, contact Dana Tuller, AmeriCorps VISTA, Grand Traverse County at 922-4836 or dtuller@msu.edu.
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