2009 Youth Venture Summit

The 2009 Youth Venture Summit was held Friday, June 26th - Monday, June 29th at Boston University, Boston. The Summit brought together over a hundred Young Changemakers from around the world.

Bill Drayton
Social Entrepreneur
C.E.O. and Founder, Ashoka

Bill Drayton has been a social entrepreneur since he was a New York City elementary school student. Public service and strong values run through the stories of both parents' families -- including several of the earliest anti-slavery abolitionist and women's leaders in the U.S. These family influences, the rich diversity and openness of life in Manhattan-as well as America's deep cultural concern with equity, which flourished during the Civil Rights years-all interacted with one another and with Bill's temperament to plant Ashoka's earliest roots. Bill has received many awards for his achievements. He was elected one of the early MacArthur Fellows for his work, including the founding of Ashoka. In addition, Yale School of Management gave him its annual Award for Entrepreneurial Excellence.

Stephen Douglass
Youth Venturer
C.E.O. and Founder, Young Impact

Stephen pushes students and young professionals to turn their interests and potential into viable primary and secondary career paths. He earned a degree in Economics from The College of William and Mary and is in the process of pursuing his MBA at Babson College. As a former elite gymnast (jock), Academic All-American (nerd), professional break-dancer (b-boy), and a spoken word poet (fire-breathing dragon), Stephen and the Young Impact team continue to develop and implement products and services with partner campuses, communities, and companies.

Katie Simon
Youth Venturer
Founder, Minga

At the age of 14, Katie developed a movement of teenagers fighting against the Child Sex Trade. Along with some friends, she organized several community yard sales, the first of which raised an unprecedented $6,500. Following the initial success, Minga continued to organize fundraising events in order to support partner programs Guatemala and the Philippines. Minga expanded to include school clubs across North America and refocused its mission around educating and empowering youth in the United States. Minga has engaged with partner organizations Thailand, the Philippines, Guatemala, Canada and the United States.

Title: Youth vs. Climate Change: The Heat is On
Presented by: MTV Switch Campaign Teams
Description: How can young people take action on what is perhaps the greatest challenge of their generation…and create real impact?! Outstanding teams from Youth Venture’s MTV Switch challenge answered that question and shared key lessons learned from their own ventures.

Title: No Change is too Small
Presented by: Caitlin Quinones and Kathryn Lyon, Youth Venturer & Youth Venture Champion and Ally
Description: The purpose of this workshop was to show participants the value of making change at any level. There is no such thing as “too small” when it comes to making positive change in the community, every bit matters. Caitlin shared her experience as a changemaker and Venturer and impressed some of Youth Venturer’s core values upon her audience for further inspiration. Participants had the opportunity to list some of their personal/professional strengths and learn how those strengths can translate into performing changemaking actions that benefit the community. Kathryn shared her experience as a Champion in her community and explained the value and success of creating one’s own grassroots effort for spreading positive change and building a changemaker society.

Title: Grassroots Marketing
Presented by: Best Buy @ 15 Challenge Teams
Description: How can you build a powerful network to support your organization? A panel of winners from the Best Buy @ 15 Challenge shared best practices in guerilla marketing, philanthropic competitions, and “tribe” management.