The newsletter discusses several topics: 1) A survey of American teens' views on the 2008 presidential election and economy. 2) Opportunities for youth programs and grants including film festivals, scholarships, and entrepreneurship awards. 3) Updates on Youth Venture activities around the globe and in local communities promoting youth leadership and social change.

1. Youth Venture National Newsletter November 2008
In This Issue Dear Kristin,
Golden Opportunities The 2008 Election is here! And so are the results are in from Best Buy's
@15 IMO (In My Opinion) survey- you might be surprised to learn what
YV Nation teenagers from all over the US had to say about the 2008 presidential
In Your Neck of the election....
- 8 out of 10 teens feel like they
Woods
aren't heard by adults in general.
Venture Spotlight - 7 out of 10 teens said they were
"pessimistic about the future."
YV Global - More than 60 percent said that
the economy is the top issue to
the presidential candidates should
Quick Links
be discussing.
GenV.net Just last week the presidential candidates, John McCain and Barack
About Youth Venture Obama, both made comments regarding @15:
YV Mid-Atlantic "Because today's teenagers will be tomorrow's leaders, we need to listen
YV Mid-West to what this next generation has to say." -Senator John McCain
YV New England "I'm proud to support programs like @15 that encourage teens to join the
YV New York and Virtual conversation about the future they want for themselves and for their
YV National country." -Senator Barack Obama
YV Seattle Best Buy's partnership with Youth Venture continues
YV Digital to promote youth leadership through the @15
Donate Now Challenge. In December, 30 Venture Team finalists will
compete in an online youth vote to win 15, $10,000
grant to expand their impact.
Check out the results of the @15 IMO survey and
share your voice (speak up, America!) by joining the
IMO discussion at www.at15.org
Even if you're one of the millions of young people who
don't have a vote you can still be a leader in making
positive social change for yourself and your community
with help from Youth Venture. Go to www.GenV.net to
learn more.
Sincerely,
Youth Venture

2. Golden Opportunities
Take advantage of these great grants, programs, and scholarships!
Calling Youth Media Producers! YOUTH PRODUCING CHANGE
Armed with digital cameras, computers and their own boundless
creativity -young people across the globe are bravely exposing
human rights issues faced by themselves and their communities.
The Human Rights Watch International Film Festival in partnership
with Adobe Youth Voices seeks youth-produced film, video and
animated media works by youth ages 19 and younger on human
rights issues for its second annual YOUTH PRODUCING CHANGE
program. Selected films will be screened in their New York, London,
Boston and San Francisco film festivals in 2009-10.
Deadline: December 10, 2008
http://www.hrw.org/iff/2008/submission.html
MTV Exiled- No Need to be Spoiled to Apply.
Live the good life and do good as part of the "Your Turn
to Get Exiled" sweepstakes. The United Nations
Foundation is partnering with MTV to give fans of the
MTV hit show, Exiled, a chance to embrace their inner
Angelina - and win two tickets to attend the MTV 2009 Movie Awards and and/or a chance to win
another trip to Africa with the UN Foundation's Nothing But Nets campaign- a global, grassroots effort
to prevent malaria. It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for young people in America to connect with
young people around the world - their issues, their dreams and their challenges.
Deadline: December 31, 2008
http://www.unfoundation.org/global-issues/exiled.html
Scholarship
The Gates Millennium Scholars Program
(GMS), funded by a grant from the Bill &
Melinda Gates Foundation, was established
in 1999 to provide outstanding, low
income African American, American
Indian/Alaska Native, Asian Pacific Islander American, and Hispanic American students with an
opportunity to complete an undergraduate college education in any discipline area of interest.
Continuing Gates Millennium Scholars may request funding for a graduate degree program in one of the
following discipline areas: education, engineering, library science, mathematics, public health or
science.
The goal of GMS is to promote academic excellence by providing thousands of outstanding students,
who have significant financial need, the opportunity to reach their full potential. GMS offers leadership
development programs with distinctive personal, academic and professional growth opportunities
including mentoring services and an online resource center that provides up-to-date information on
internship, fellowship, and scholarship opportunities, as well as graduate and post-graduate resources
and conferences.
Deadline: January 12, 2009
http://www.gmsp.org/
2009 Growing Up CEO Call for Entries
The Initiative for a Competitive Inner City (ICIC)
is now accepting nominations and applications
for the 2009 Growing Up CEO program, a
program which celebrates the remarkable
achievements of young men and women leading inner city companies across the country and around
the world.
Each year, twenty-five US and five international CEOs, all under the age of 21, are chosen as winners
of this unique award. As Growing Up CEOs, these young leaders receive an all expenses paid trip to
Boston for the Inner City 100 Summit and join a community where they can network, share best
practices, and develop new ideas about entrepreneurship.
If you know of an outstanding young CEO who deserves to be recognized, please click here. The
deadline for nominations is December 31, 2008. Nominations will not be accepted after this date.
If you are an outstanding young CEO who wants to build your network and your company, please click
here. Applications will not be accepted after the deadline. All international applicants must have a valid

3. passport at the time of application.
Deadline: January 31, 2009- US, December 31, 2008- International
http://www.icic.org/site/c.fnJNKPNhFiG/b.3441497/k.907D/Growing_Up_CEO.htm
Want more information about scholarships, programs, and grants? Many more are listed on
GenV.net. Check out the following links: Opportunities for Venturers and Grants and Scholarship
Opportunities for Venturers.
YV Nation
Global Entrepreneurship Week
For one week, November 17 - 23, 2008, millions of young people around the world will join a growing
movement of entrepreneurial people to generate new ideas and to seek better ways of doing things.
Engaging young people in school, at home, on the web and at work, dozens of countries are coming
together for the first time to host Global Entrepreneurship Week - an initiative to inspire young people
to embrace innovation, imagination and creativity. To think big. To turn their ideas into reality. To make
their mark.
Global Entrepreneurship Week will connect young people everywhere
through local, national and global activities designed to help them
explore their potential as self-starters and innovators. Students,
educators, entrepreneurs, business leaders, employees, non-profit
leaders, government officials and many others will participate in a
range of activities - online and face-to-face - to harness the
energy of social networking, to connect people taking action in their
local and global communities and to celebrate entrepreneurship
across the globe.
Through this initiative, the next generation of entrepreneurs will be
inspired and emerge. In doing so, they will begin to acquire the knowledge, skills, networks and values
needed to grow innovative, sustainable enterprises that have a positive impact on their lives and the
lives of those around them. Get involved in Global Entrepreneurship Week here.
Fall Competitions
The Staples Youth Social Entrepreneur Competition and the Best Buy @15™ Challenge with Youth
Venture application processes are now closed. YV is currently tabulating the results of the finalists.
Check www.GenV.net regularly for updates.
Visit GenV.net to find out about other exciting programs that Youth Venture is sponsoring!
Change is inevitable.Change is constant. ~ Benjamin Disraeli
Change your thoughts, and you change your world. ~ Norman Vincent Peale
Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world. ~ Nelson
Mandela
In Your Neck of the Woods
Georgia & Massachusetts
Nike opened their newest store in Atlanta, GA on November 1. The Atlanta store is one of several that
will promote the Gamechangers "sport for social change" initiative, which Nike is launching with help
from YV. Nike Gamechangers is the search for the heroes of tomorrow, young athletes who use sport to
BEAT the issues that they care about most.

4. Kayla, from Team Ultimate, was flown to Atlanta, GA for the
grand opening of Nike's newest retail store. Kayla and her
Venture were showcased during the event as a result of her
inspiring and impressive efforts to teach athleticism, leadership
and the importance of team work, confidence, and self-respect,
through the sport of Ultimate Frisbee. For periods of 8 weeks at
a Girls Inc. of Worchester, MA, Team Ultimate holds weekly
mentoring and team-building sessions for inner city preadolescent
girls. Kayla and teammate Amanda have already reached
dozens of girls in their community since launching Team Ultimate in 2006, as a result of Youth
Venture's partnership with United Way of North Central
Massachusetts and Mount Wachusett Community College.
Along with Youth Venture, US Nike retail "Athletes" (employees) will
begin engaging thousands of youth like Kayla and Amanda in their
local communities through sport and social change. Through this
process each store will begin to launch Youth Venture teams built
on the biggest and best ideas that youth generate to improve their
community through sport. Check out other sports Ventures like
Team Ultimate and learn more about the YV-Nike partnership here.
Access your neck of the woods~ New England, Minneapolis, New York, Seattle, DC, Virtual ~to
share ideas, seek advice, and stay informed as to what is going on in your broader community
to help to grow and sustain your Venture.
Venture Spotlight Starring:
Transform America ~ New York, NY
Transform America, a social justice coalition that creates collaboration opportunities among student
groups, community organizations and non-profits; held their second annual Social Justice Park Party
event in Fort Greene Park in Brooklyn, NY on Saturday, October 25th. The event was celebration and
gathering to promote social justice, recruit activists, and advance their campaign for better education
in NYC.
The goals of the Park Party were to educate and recruit members to Transform America's cause and
help increase their Venture's visibility in order to reach their objectives of making college affordable,
recruiting 100 mentors, creating 25 new Youth Councils and developing a mission statement for the
Department of Education.
Transform America recognized Youth Venture as an important part of their success by inviting us to
participate in the Park Party. The event also included free BBQ, a graffiti wall, fashion show, break-
dancing competition and musical performances featuring Jahstix,
Ra Hendrix, Spiritchild and more!
Join their cause and practice similar efforts for your own
Venture's success by visiting www.transformamerica.org
Shout Out
Above It is a hangout in the virtual world of Teen Second Life where teens can have fun while
learning about drugs and substance abuse. Weekly DJ dance parties and other events will feature
games and activities that teach about the dangers of drug abuse. The Above It Venture Team, led
by Justin, a middle school student from Staten Island, New York, decided to create the Venture after
noticing that their peers are often unaware of how drugs can harm their bodies.
Above It held an official launch party bash on November 1st in their newly constructed space in Teen
Second Life. Roughly 50 teens from around the world came to dance, chat, and learn about the mission
of Above It.
Congrats, Above It, on your successful launch party! Welcome to the YV community!
Check out this Team at www.genv.net/en-us/team/above_it
Submit your Venture to yvfellowship@youthventure.org for consideration in future Newsletter
issues.
Learn about changemakers and Venture Teams just like you. Compose an Action Plan to start
your own Venture. Chat with other Venturers via Forums.

5. YV Global
Argentina
The first Southern Cone Avancemos gathering took place from September 23rd to 28th in
Chapadmalal, in Buenos Aires province. The gathering took place within the frame of the Annual Week
for the Rights of Young People, which convoked 800 youth from all over Argentina and other Latin
American countries.
The main goal of the Avancemos gathering was for participants. Moreover, the event sought to foster
the global movement starting from the regional level. During 6 days, eighty Venturers from 15 cities
in Argentina and Chile had the opportunity to meet, talk, play, discuss and reflect about their
experiences.
During various sessions, participants had the chance to share
their experiences as young changemakers, advance their
Ventures and discuss the important role young people play in
our society. Additionally, they exchanged ideas and concerns
with two Ashoka fellows, Julio Vacaflor, who led a
memorable workshop on communication, and Jorge Strada,
and discussed with them the challenges of being a young
changemaker and of scaling up their Ventures.
By the end of the gathering, people felt motivated, excited
and very proud of being part of a global youth community
that really believes in the power of young people to bring
about social change. Throughout the event, participants kept
repeating very strongly, "YES, WE CAN!" One participant said,
"It is a relief to know that there are many other people on the
same path, trying to build a better, more human world where we would all like to live. It is beautiful to
see that people from all over the world are sharing what they do, what they dream, what they want."
The positive energy was SO strong and it was reflected in a song written to thank Ashoka
Avancemos for giving them the opportunity to dream and to do, and for making them more aware of
their power as young changemakers.
Youth Venture Contact Information
1700 North Moore Street
Suite 2000
Arlington, VA 22209
Phone: 703.527.4126
yvfellowship@youthventure.org
GenV.net-Youth Venture National Office
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