Never before has the pace of change in world been so vertiginous. The world as we know it is shifting, with new power hubs emerging along with new means of communication and interaction. The old institutions and systems have become obsolete. Against this background, it is essential to develop all the skills required to make an impact in an ever-changing world. For most people success depends much less on what they knows and more on their ability to learn new things quickly, to identify trends or behavioral patterns in society, take the initiative and work in teams. These skills require practice, and those who have a firmer grasp on them will find themselves better equipped to survive in the modern environment.
At Ashoka Young Changemakers, we believe that the development of such skills begins by getting young people involved in driving change; in planned and deliberate action to propel and steer positive change in the community. By becoming the driving force behind change, these young ChangeMakers develop their capacities for empathy, innovation, leadership, creativity and the entrepreneurial skills required to succeed in a global economy and to lead positive change in other areas of life. Furthermore, these skills provide access to greater and better employment opportunities, access to capital, new academic prospects, significant social impact and the best long-term future prospects amongst all young people in Europe.
BBVA has supported the Ashoka Young Changemakers program in Spain since mid-2011. This support is based on the bank’s conviction that social change can be driven by inspiring young people to develop their own ideas and helping to put them into practice. The program works with young people aged between 14 and 22 by encouraging them to lead change today, providing opportunities, resources and support to help them implement their ideas.
This partnership now covers Portugal and several Latin American countries thanks to the Change Your World competition. This competition is a means for BBVA and Ashoka to foment young social entrepreneurship by recognizing the best initiatives instigate by young people in Latin America. Under the slogan “You too can change the world”, the competition will select the 20 most beneficial projects based on their positive impact on the community, innovation and sustainability. The contest is open to young people in Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Venezuela, Mexico, Spain and Portugal, all countries where BBVA has launched initiatives to promote social entrepreneurship.
The winning projects will benefit from an injection of start-up capital as well as consultancy and monitoring support from ASHOKA Young Changemakers / Avancemos, while also joining the global movement of young people leading change via the ASHOKA Young Changemakers network, which now includes more than 60,000 young people in 18 countries.
The partnership with BBVA comes at a key time for Ashoka, after Bill Drayton, its founder, was awarded the 2011 Principe de Asturias International Cooperation Prize, important recognition for his work in promoting social entrepreneurship in Spain and worldwide.
Anyone wishing to learn more about the selection criteria or submit projects can do so at www.concursocambiatumundo.org
About Ashoka
Ashoka is the world’s largest association of social entrepreneurs. The network is made up of people with innovative, grass root and systematic solutions to the most pressing social problems. Since its foundation 30 years ago, Ashoka has provided support to more than 3000 entrepreneurs in 70 countries. In Spain Ashoka has selected 25 social entrepreneurs and is backed by the Vips Group, BBVA, Boehringer Ingelheim, PwC PricewaterhouseCoopers and a group of individual partners, all members of the ASN (Ashoka Support Network). For further information, go to www.ashoka.es.
Josefina García
Program Director
Ashoka Iberia Young Changemakers
