Yunus&Youth Fellowship Program for Social Entrepreneurs 2017

 

Sometimes changing the world needs a little help

We know the power of mentorship and young people. That’s why we take young social entrepreneurs from around the world, connect them with amazing mentors, and give them all the other resources they need to scale their impact.

Yunus&Youth offers a 6-month global fellowship for extraordinary young people running businesses doing good.

By training talented young people and accelerating their social businesses with the right resources, we cultivate a highly capable and impactful next generation of social business leaders. We faithfully believe this is the most effective way to foster progress and economic growth worldwide.

We support hardworking, passionate entrepreneurs building social businesses around the world. Are you one of them?

If you’re looking to grow your early-stage social business, we can help. Fellows receive a 6-month crash course in business development, an experienced mentor, and access to our global network. Join the Y&Y community to grow your business alongside remarkable social entrepreneurs from around the world.

Eligibility

If you have started working on your social business and are dedicated to making it succeed, then you fulfill the main criteria. You must be under 30 years old and comfortable speaking and communicating in English. You must also be able to commit to 10 hours per week on exercises that will help you improve your business. Individuals from any country can apply for the program. There are no restrictions on country of origin or country of operations.

Program Structure

The program is delivered through an online platform that you will join if you are selected as a Yunus&Youth Fellow. Though it varies throughout the program, the course takes 10 hours per week on average, depending on your own speed, where your social business stands, and the activity for that week. The time spent on the course will bring direct benefits to your social business. The activities you complete are aligned with the stages your business goes through to become sustainable and scalable. 

• Step 1: We select bright individuals with innovative business ideas that tackle the world’s most pressing problems.
• Y&Y Fellows are passionate young entrepreneurs running early-stage social businesses. They are visionaries, talented, eager, and proven drivers of change determined to fight major social issues.
• Step 2: Once fellows are selected we guide them through all the necessary steps to grow their ventures in a strategic and sustainable way. Each stage of the curriculum takes Fellows through the next step of development. Our sustainable and wide-scale approach involves sets of activities based on lean start-up principles, allowing Fellows to execute a unique and valuable strategic position.
• Step 3: We immerse fellows in a social business training ground where they receive all the resources they need to succeed.

Throughout the Fellowship program, entrepreneurs attend bi-weekly webinars given by business experts, connect with a global network of change-makers and professional mentors, and/while receiving relevant content and personalized support from the Y&Y team.

What you receive

• Mentorship։ You’ll be paired with a mentor who is right for you. You’ll work together to develop your social business throughout the 6-month program.
• Supportive Peers: You’ll meet driven entrepreneurs from around the world. Each class cohort is made up of fearless young people who provide one another with feedback, connections, and support.
• Expert Webinars: We bring you experts from a diverse range of fields including social enterprise, business fundamentals, digital marketing, finance, learn start-up principles, and more.
• Just the Right Resources: We’ve developed a no-hassle, just-what-you need curriculum, resources, tools, and exercises that will take your enterprise to the next level.
• Recognition: As a Y&Y Fellow, the world knows you’re a social entrepreneur destined to make a long-lasting impact.
• Connections: Our network includes some of the world’s top social impact organizations, international institutions, incubators, and investors.
• Professional Support: The Y&Y Team knows your time is valuable. We’ve structured the process to ensure that every step is as impactful as possible.
• Growth: Our Fellows cite Y&Y as one of the most important and supportive experiences in shaping and growing their social businesses.

Apply for the Global Fellowship Program for Social Entrepreneurs 2017

These are the main questions that you will need to fill in while applying: 

Tell us about your social business

• Social Business Name*
• Website
• Facebook Page
• What is your social business? (Describe in one or two sentences)
• Are you legally incorporated? Please specify the country and the legal form. (100 characters)*
• How long has your social business existed (100 characters)
• Why did you start your social business? (300 characters)*
• What social problem do you want to solve? (300 characters)*
• How does your social business solve that problem? (500 characters)*
• How many team members do you have? What are their roles and main skills? What roles/people/knowledge do you miss? (500 characters)*
• In which stage of the business do you think you stand?*

Tell us about your customers & revenue model

• Who are your beneficiaries/users? (300 characters)*
• Who are your paying customers? Are they different from your beneficiaries? (300 characters)*
• How do you plan to acquire more customers? How do you plan to grow and scale? (300 characters)*
• How many customers have paid for your product/service in the past 12 months (since you have started working if less than 12 months)? (100 characters)*
• Who are your competitors and how are you different from what they offer? (500 characters)*
• What kind of evidence do you have that your solution works/will work? (300 characters)*
• What is the most important measure/indicator of your success? (100 characters)*
• What is your revenue model? How does your social business make money?*

For more information please click "Further Official Information" below.