About Youth Venture

Ashoka launched Youth Venture in 1996 in the U.S. with the vision that everyone in society could take initiative and address social needs. Any young person who has an idea for improving his or her community, leads a team, launches a venture and contributes something lasting will emerge transformed from such an experience. Young “Venturers” will know that they are capable of leading and creating change, and it is likely that they will take initiative again and again over a lifetime.

Youth Venture inspires and invests in teams of young people to design and launch their own lasting social ventures. We provide coaching, resources, and seed funding to help these teams launch, lead and grow their Ventures. Youth Venture works with a vibrant fellowship of young people in eleven countries on five different continents and we’re expanding each year. As we invest in Venturers around the world, we connect them into a powerful global network of young changemakers.

Our Venturers start businesses, civil society organizations and informal programs that address all kinds of social issues, including poverty, health, the elderly, the environment, education, diversity issues, and the arts. Youth Venture helps our Venturers through this process of designing and launching their ventures, providing guidance, how-to’s, and a process for designing and pitching a venture idea.

When the Venture team is ready to launch, Youth Venture offers:

• Seed funding
• Guidance, tools and support
• Allies who provide advice, mentoring and expertise
• A supportive network of fellow Youth Venturers
• Identity as part of movement of young changemakers

After the team has launched, Youth Venture works to stay continually involved with the team. Youth Venture also connects Venturers into a fellowship of like-minded young people, helping them see that they are part of something bigger, catalyzing our movement.

GET STARTED by visiting YouthVenture.org

LOCAL SPONSORS:

• Net Impact NEPA
• Junior Achievement NEPA
• Marywood University
• Procter & Gamble

Contact Brian Petula - bpetula@marywood.edu - to learn more about Youth Venture in Northeastern Pennsylvania!