Yunus & Youth Global Fellowship for Social Entrepreneurs

Deadline: 28-Feb-23

Are you working on a solution to mitigate climate change and its effects? Does your solution improve healthcare access or help people live healthier lives? Are you on a mission to provide equal access to opportunities and resources for those marginalized? Do you use business tools to give people the knowledge and skills they need to access equal opportunities to learn and get jobs? Are you creating change in any other sector? The Yunus & Youth Global Fellowship for Social Entrepreneurs (GFSE) is for you if making a positive impact in your community is your thing!

The Yunus & Youth (Y&Y) Fellowship is a highly customized program for passionate young social entrepreneurs around the world, accessible from wherever they live and work.

They carefully identify the knowledge and experiences that each cohort will need, match each Y&Y Fellow to a mentor from a Fortune 500 company, and work closely with the Fellow to personalize the experience, leveraging their access to top thinkers and institutions around the world.

They combine careful planning with an agile, responsive approach. Their goal is for each Y&Y Fellow to have a high-quality experience that provides the skills they need to expand their businesses, achieve financial sustainability, and measure their impact. The Y&Y Fellowship transforms their businesses and the lives of the people those businesses serve.

Apply to join the Global Fellowship for Social Entrepreneurs and become a Yunus & Youth Fellow:

Understand and measure the social or enviroment change you wish to create
Build a realistic and sustainable business strategy (finance, sales and marketing)
Learn how to tell stories to engage customers and investors
Leverage on 1:1 moments with mentors and expert mentors
Become part of a global community of like-minded people

Pillars

The program is based on 4 main pillars:

individual mentoring relationship 1 and expert support
on-demand curated training 2 backed by online live sessions
community support 3 and networking
final pitch competition

Why should you apply?

The Y&Y Fellowship is a six-month program. It is free for Fellows, with no fee or equity stake required. Key features of the program include:

Accelerating the growth of your social business: They select a cohort of young social entrepreneurs with early-stage businesses, and offer them the best tools and training possible.
Tailored to each Y&Y Fellow and social business: They are responsive to the needs of each entrepreneur and offer a personalized experience.
Community accessible from anywhere: The Y&Y Fellowship is 100% online. The program is highly interactive, so the Fellows build strong ties with one another. Y&Y Fellows become part of a friendly, inclusive, and global community.
Mentors from Fortune 500 companies: They match each Y&Y Fellow with the same two Mentors for the full length of the program. The Mentors are professionals who currently work at Fortune 500 companies – they bring knowledge and know-how from the private sector.
Insights from top sources: Y&Y Fellows have the opportunity to learn from prominent thinkers in the social entrepreneurship field, such as Professor Yunus and researchers from leading universities. They include a four-week module on measuring impact with Dr. Ingo Michelfelder, a postdoctoral researcher at the Social Innovation + Change Initiative at the Harvard Kennedy School.
Final Pitch Competition: At the close of the program, you have the opportunity to pitch your business to a panel of impact investors.
Certificate upon completion: When you complete their rigorous program, you will receive a certificate to honor your achievement, and you will have access to their Y&Y Alumni network.

Modules

The Y&Y Fellowship Training Modules

introduction to the Y&Y Community
entrepreneurial skills
storytelling
market strategy
delivering your solution
measuring impact
completing the business model
pitching and networking
funding your social business
building the organization
brand and communications
managing growth

Eligibility Criteria

Youth: Between the ages of 18 and 30, with exceptions for outstanding applicants outside that range.
Social Business Founders or Co-Founders: Dedicated and committed to building a business that tackles a social or environmental issue aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Committed to Equity and Diversity: Identify as or target problems faced by a minority group based on their region’s composition (ethnic/racial minorities, women, gender minorities, LGBTQIA+, refugees and displaced people, low-income, or people with a disability).
Early-stage: More than an idea. Initiatives that have at least been prototyped and tested.
Innovative: Solutions that integrate new mindsets or technologies in their products or services, processes, or context.
Interested and Available: Interest in contributing to the growth and development of the Y&Y Community by dedicating at least 5 hours per week to the Y&Y Fellowship.