Youth Venture was founded in 1996 by Bill Drayton, founder of Ashoka.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: When was Ashoka’s Youth Venture founded?
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Q: How many teams has Youth Venture launched?
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Youth Venture has launched 6,000 teams across the world.
Q: How is Youth Venture related to Ashoka?
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Youth Venture grew out of Ashoka, the global association of the world’s leading social entrepreneurs. We share global headquarters in Arlington, VA, and collaborate with other Ashoka initiatives such as Changemakers.com, Ashoka U, and Start Empathy.
Q: What is a social entrepreneur?
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Social entrepreneurs demonstrate a commitment to a big, new, bold idea and share qualities traditionally associated with leading business entrepreneurs —vision, innovation, determination, and long-term commitment—but are committed to systemic social change in their fields, leading by including all actors in society and changing the systems and patterns of society.
Q: What is a Changemaker
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A changemaker takes initiative to solve problems at any level employing empathy, teamwork, leadership, and action. Developing as a changemaker takes practice just like developing any worthwhile skill set.
Q: How old do I have to be to launch a Venture?
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Youth Venture targets youth between the ages of 12-20.
Q: What if I am too young to launch a Venture?
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No worries! You can still be a changemaker. There are multiple ways to get involved with Youth Venture and Youth Venture teams. Perhaps you can work together with an older teammate to launch a Venture.
Q: What if I am too old to launch a Venture?
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While we are all young at heart, we have to draw a line somewhere. But don’t fret, because there are still many ways you can get involved with Youth Venture. If you want to help Youth Venture further its mission to empower young changemakers, then check out the job, internship and volunteer opportunities at Youth Venture.
Q: How can I meet other Venturers?
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While the Internet is wonderful and allows us to communicate regardless of distance, there is nothing like hanging out with other young changemakers face-to-face. Which is why Youth Venture hosts an annual Summit, where teams participate in skill-building and Venture-strengthening workshops, engage in meaningful dialogue to share experiences and perspectives, and network with each other, to identify common areas of interest and ways to collaborate.
Q: What if I have already launched a project and want to enter into your network?
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Cool. We’d love to have you join the community. Sign up for our newsletter and feel free to contact us.
Q: How can I get Youth Venture in my city or school?
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First, check out our existing office locations in case we’re in your neck of the woods. Youth Venture collaborates with other organizations such as United Way so you may find us in your city or school soon. Bringing Youth Venture to a new location is a big commitment so we’re always looking for local changemakers to take the initiative to make it happen - reach out!