YBI's President
His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales is the President of Youth
Business International.
The Prince plays a vital role in our work to raise the profile
of youth entrepreneurship. Last year, His Royal Highness visited
our programmes in Indonesia, Scotland and Canada helping to garner
support for our work and raise awareness of our cause.
In March 2010 he launched a new initiative for Youth Business
Poland at an event at the Warsaw Stock Exchange.
Excerpt from The Prince's foreword
to our latest annual report:
"In 2009, the number of unemployed people
worldwide reached a staggering 212 million. Young people have been
hit disproportionately hard by the current global economic
downturn. This is paradoxical: it is often among young people that
we find the greatest creativity, drive and determination.
When I founded Youth Business International
in 2000, it was with the express intention of harnessing these
skills in order to nurture entrepreneurial spirit and, in turn, to
create new jobs and revitalize economies. Through its global
network, my YBI supports those young entrepreneurs who are capable
of transforming not only their own lives, but also the lives of
those around them.
Despite the difficult economic
conditions
that have been affecting much of the world, the YBI Network
continues to provide much-needed assistance to young people who are
determined to start their own business, but lack the resources to
do so.
Our model is simple, but effective. Each
entrepreneur gains access to loan capital, business start-up
services and – crucially - the guidance of an experienced mentor.
Last November, during an official visit to Canada, I met a number
of highly successful entrepreneurs who have been supported by the
Canadian Youth Business Foundation, a leading member of the YBI
Network. These outstanding businesspeople are working in a
remarkable diversity of sectors, from gourmet chocolate to wet
weather gear and security monitoring technology."
Youth Business International is one of The Prince's Charities, a
group of not-for-profit organisations of which The Prince of Wales
is President: 18 of the 20 charities were founded personally by The
Prince.
The group is the largest multi-cause charitable enterprise in
the United Kingdom, raising over £100 million annually. More at
www.princescharities.org