Young social entrepreneurs meet in Wellington

23 NOVEMBER 2015

Young social entrepreneurs meet in Wellington to make world-changing plans

WELLINGTON - The 60 young Kiwis chosen for this summer’s Live the Dream social entrepreneurship accelerator will kick off their journey with a hui in Wellington this week.

Live the Dream, a 9-week, full-time programme run by the charity Inspiring Stories, will be held in Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch this summer. The intensive, immersive programme helps New Zealanders aged 17-30 develop their ideas for a better world.

Record numbers of applications were received for this, the programme’s third, year - with participants selected on the basis of a written application and phone interview, and the strength of their passion and determination to make a difference in their communities.

Places are free to successful applicants, with the $3000 cost to put a young person through the programme covered by Government and corporate funding.

Before the programme begins in its three separate city chapters on Monday 30 November, 2015, participants from all chapters will be brought together for a two-day stay at Pipitea Marae on Tuesday 24 and Wednesday 25 November, 2015.

With several clear themes running through this year’s applications - participants are particularly interested in solving problems around health and wellbeing, mental health, bullying, and environmental issues - this two day hui will allow Live the Dream participants to meet other young people who care about the same things as them.

Inspiring Stories CEO and 2015 Young New Zealander of the Year, Guy Ryan, created Live the Dream on the basis that young Kiwis are creative, innovative, and perfectly placed, at the age and stage of life they’re at, to take a leap and throw everything at trying to tackle one of the big problems our planet faces. Ryan said, “Social entrepreneurship - the idea of using traditional business models to solve social problems, with a responsibility to purpose before profit - is an invaluable skill set for our young people to develop.

“Employers are increasingly valuing jobseekers who know how to innovate in response to problems, and can help business become more ethical, transparent, and beneficial to society. Consumers are demanding better practice and more social good from our businesses, and this summer, a new crop of young Kiwis will learn, in depth, how to create that social good.

“They will also leave the programme with an idea that could benefit their communities, country, or even world.”

During Live the Dream, participants are guided through a nine-week process to explore an issue in depth, come up with a venture model to help solve it, validate and test their idea, and look to launching it at the end of the programme.

Mentors and guest speakers include social enterprise trailblazers, captains of industry, and other New Zealand leaders in the for-profit and not for-profit sectors.

Past participants in Live the Dream are still working on their ventures - and some are even running them full-time, such as Bonnie Howland, an alum of Live the Dream whose Mascara for Sight will help cure treatable blindness in the Pacific Islands.

The programme runs from November 30, 2015 until February 18, 2016.

More information can be found at: http://livethedream.org.nz

Interviews, and photo and filming opportunities, are available at this week’s marae hui in Wellington - with this year’s participants, or with Live the Dream creator Guy Ryan.

***

Inspiring Stories
Inspiring Stories is a nationwide charity founded by Guy Ryan in 2011 that helps young New Zealand leaders make their ideas a reality. It has empowered more than 5,000 young New Zealanders through its programmes.
The organisation is known for its Festival for the Future, a gathering of 500 young people from all parts of New Zealand, that explores the big issues of our time and allows young people to share ideas and learn skills that do good in the world. Festival took place September 4-6 2015.
Inspiring Stories’ Future Fund initiative makes these programmes more accessible to more young New Zealanders.

ends

© Scoop Media