They are big picture thinkers who focus, not on problems, but on possibilities. They are the 2012 Laureate Global Fellows. These 20 young social entrepreneurs from 16 countries have each pioneered innovative solutions to a host of urgent societal challenges – using bicycles to empower low-income youth with livelihood skills, transforming ‘rice straw’ into renewable fuel, and putting technology to work to build sustainable, local economies.

The Laureate Global Fellows program, launched in Istanbul at a ceremony honoring the inaugural class of 2012, is an extension of the seven-year partnership between the Sylvan/Laureate Foundation and the International Youth Foundation (IYF) through IYF’s YouthActionNet® program. Laureate has also played a critical role in the expansion of YouthActionNet®, with eight national-level youth leadership institutes created through Laureate International Universities.

“Congratulations to each of the 2012 Laureate Global Fellows,” said Douglas L. Becker, Chairman and CEO of Laureate Education, Inc. “Through their leadership and example, each serves as a valuable role model for their peers and community members and reinforces an ethic of service and civic engagement that is essential to building prosperous societies.”  

A sample of the 2012 Laureate Global Fellows includes:

Benjamin Faivovich, 24, Chile: Benjamin started Emprendejoven to encourage young people to embrace entrepreneurship as a way of life. Through emphasizing “learning by failing,” the initiative develops youths’ non-cognitive skills and prepares them for the labor market. 

Gokden ipek Yosunlu, 21, Turkey: Through “My Mother’s Rug,” Gokden empowers low-income, rural women to make rugs out of recycled fabric and links them to urban markets.

Arun Krishnamurthy, 25, India: Arun founded the Environmental Foundation of India (EFI) to promote wildlife conservation and habitat restoration and to empower citizens to play an active role in conservation efforts. Learn more: www.indiaenvironment.org.

Jane Nampijja, 29, Uganda: Jane co-founded Befriender Uganda, the nation’s first and only suicide prevention program, to raise awareness about suicide prevention and mental illness and offer counseling and support to youth in crisis. Learn more: www.befrienderuganda.org. 

“We are delighted to welcome the 2012 Laureate Global Fellows into the YouthActionNet® community,” said IYF President and CEO William S. Reese. “We recognize that together these young social entrepreneurs can achieve far more than they ever could alone. The Sylvan/Laureate Foundation is playing an invaluable role in equipping young leaders—at the global and national level—with the knowledge, skills, and connections to each other that are so vital to achieve lasting change in their communities.”

During their weeklong training retreat in Istanbul, Fellows strengthened their skills in such areas as communications and leading diverse teams, while exploring new pathways for sustaining their organizations and creating change within complex social, economic, and political systems. They also had the opportunity to interact with faculty and students at Istanbul Bilgi University at several campus events. During the remainder of their yearlong Fellowship, participants will benefit from virtual learning, mentoring, advocacy, networking, and funding opportunities.

The Laureate Global Fellows join a thriving community of more than 650 young social entrepreneurs in 71 countries, who are collectively impacting the lives of over 1.2 million people. Together, they demonstrate Laureate Education Inc.’s commitment to developing a generation of global leaders who are Here for Good.

To learn more about the 2012 Laureate Global Fellows, please visit: www.youthactionnet.org.

About YouthActionNet®
A program of the International Youth Foundation, YouthActionNet pursues a bold mission: to strengthen and scale up the impact of youth-led social ventures around the world. Through its local and global initiatives, YouthActionNet provides training, funding, advocacy, and networking opportunities to social entrepreneurs, ages 18 to 29, who have pioneered solutions to urgent global challenges. Joining us are universities, foundations, corporations, government agencies, and individuals – all united in their support young leaders whose innovations are changing the world – one community at a time. 

To learn more, visit: www.youthactionnet.org.

About the International Youth Foundation (IYF)
The International Youth Foundation (IYF) invests in the extraordinary potential of young people. Founded in 1990, IYF builds and maintains a worldwide community of businesses, governments, and civil-society organizations committed to empowering youth to be healthy, productive, and engaged citizens. IYF programs are catalysts of change that help young people obtain a quality education, gain employability skills, make healthy choices, and improve their communities.

To learn more, visit: www.iyfnet.org.

About the Laureate Global Fellows
Laureate Global Fellows are young social entrepreneurs who have pioneered solutions to urgent societal challenges. Each year, 20 leaders, ages 18 to 29, are selected through a partnership between the Sylvan/Laureate Foundation and the International Youth Foundation through its YouthActionNet® program. Fellows benefit from leadership training, networking, advocacy, and funding opportunities. The Laureate Fellows are part of a global network of more than 650 young social entrepreneurs in 70+ countries. Together, they demonstrate Laureate Education Inc.’s commitment to developing the next generation of global leaders who are Here for Good.

Learn more at: www.youthactionnet.org.

About the Sylvan/Laureate Foundation
The Sylvan/Laureate Foundation is the company foundation of Laureate Education, Inc. Since 1997, the Sylvan/Laureate Foundation has provided more than $13 million in grants to 100 non-profit organizations. Its mission is to support best practices in training and education worldwide.

A member of the YouthActionNet® community, the Sylvan/Laureate Foundation sponsors the Laureate Global Fellows and is co-sponsor of YouthActionNet® programs at Laureate International Universities – the world’s largest network of private universities, comprised of more than 60 institutions of higher education in 29 countries and 740,000 students. YouthActionNet® programs are currently operating at Universidade Anhembi Morumbi (Brazil), Universidade Potiguar (Brazil), Universidad Andrés Bello (Chile), Universidad Peruana de Ciencias Aplicadas (Peru), Universidad Latina (Costa Rica), Universidad Tecnológica Centroamericana (Honduras), Universidad del Valle de México (Mexico), Universidad Europea de Madrid (Spain), and Istanbul Bilgi University (Turkey).

To learn more: http://laureate.net.

International Youth Foundation

International Youth Foundation

The International Youth Foundation (IYF) invests in the extraordinary potential of young people. Founded in 1990, IYF builds and maintains a worldwide community of businesses, governments, and civil society organizations committed to empowering youth to be healthy, productive, and engaged citizens. IYF programs are catalysts of change that help young people obtain a quality education, gain employability skills, make healthy choices, and improve their communities. To learn more visit www.iyfnet.org.

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