The Global Youth Entrepreneurship Festival 2020, our first wholly virtual member event, is a chance for the whole YBI network to come together after the extraordinary events of this year.
Our agenda prioritises what we know members value the most – the opportunity to connect with each other, to learn from peers about responding to the new challenges this year has posed, and gain valuable insights from experts.
On Day 1, we will hear from Mark Curtis, Co-founder and Chief Client Officer at Fjord, part of Accenture Interactive, about the opportunities in the changes we are seeing in the world. We then learn from members about your successes, challenges and new services that have emerged as a result of this crisis.
On Day 2, Lean and Customer Development Expert and long-standing friend of YBI, Bob Dorf, will be sharing his inspirational and innovative thinking. We will look at outputs of the Digital Accelerator work and share how members can get involved. We’ll conclude the day with our Member Innovation Awards.
On Day 3, we will hear from some of our mentors and entrepreneurs and look at some potential new topics that could enhance your programmes. We’ll then round off the day with our Mentor Recognition Awards, followed by a chance to socialise!
Join us for the unofficial but essential launch of the Festival with some Connection Before Content led by long time YBI friend Chad Littlefield. Chad will be leading us through an interactive Virtual Connection Lab to kick off our festival by sharing stories, challenges, triumphs, and insights. We show up to conferences, summits, and events for the content. We go to festivals for the experience and the connection. Join us!
Watch Chad's introductory video
In addition to old and new connections, you will walk away from this session with concrete, actionable tools to "create connection before content" and make engagement easy in a virtual space.
Anita Tiessen, CEO of Youth Business International, introduces the Global Youth Entrepreneurship Festival 2020.
She will be joined by Ndũng'ũ Kahĩhu, Executive Director of CAP-Youth Empowerment Institute (Kenya). As a representative from one of our newest YBI member organisations, Ndũng'ũ will extend a warm welcome to all GYEF participants!
Mark Curtis, Co-founder and Chief Client Officer Fjord, part of Accenture Interactive, will share some Fjord trends 2020. Changes in our behaviors, values and priorities are affecting all areas of business and design and this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to innovate business models, services and products around new definitions of value.
The unprecedented COVID crisis created many challenges to young people's lives, but it has also presented several opportunities for entrepreneurs to do business differently. In this session, Youth Business Mongolia will share some of their learnings supporting entrepreneurs during these challenging times.
Somo will introduce MyDuka - a simple, effective financial tracking tool that allows entrepreneurs to update business records on basic feature phones. The Somo team will introduce MyDuka's user experience, how MyDuka collects data, how this data measures entrepreneurs' growth and impact especially during COVID times, and how it can provide entrepreneurs with financing opportunities.
In this session, Habitat Association will show how they quickly transformed their offline support in Turkey into digital services, including an online hackathon and sprint events, live Broadcasts, and research series.
The Personal Canvas is a visual and agile tool for personal self-diagnosis that helps entrepreneurs know themselves better and make an improvement plan for their businesses. It's a reflection tool that leads to action and has helped hundreds of Spanish entrepreneurs to create a strategy to navigate the COVID crisis. In this session, YBS will share the details about the tool, results achieved and lessons learned.
BeYourOwnBoss is an educational programme created by Qredits, that introduces students at a young age to entrepreneurship. With its online and offline tools, it can be easily integrated into existing courses or as a stand-alone product for very diverse target groups. The Programme is a valuable offering to schools that have now moved to online teaching due to the pandemic.
This Award recognises the entrepreneur who has created an outstanding, innovative business with the potential for further growth.
YBI's nominated Google.org deliver partner (DP) in Turkey, Idema, takes to the floor to present its livelihood improvement project, LIFE. Evren Aydoğan (Deputy General Manager) will speak of the challenges and wins that Idema has experienced so far through this specialist food entrepreneurship programme, which is targeted at refugees and host community members, sharing key learnings with members and DPs which can be applied to their own programmes.
Networking is a key feature at any in-person event, and although virtual, GYEF is no different! You'll still get the opportunity to reconnect with old friends, get to know new ones, share the interesting things you are working on and learn about what other are doing. In our designated networking sessions, participants will have the chance to connect and discuss relevant topics related to entrepreneurship support.
The Digital Accelerator is a phased programme designed by Accenture and YBI that aims to help members to rapidly accelerate their digital journeys. A new version of the programme has been created that can be delivered remotely, with members identifying what their goals are and where they want to be in 3 years and a practical roadmap of actions. This session will share the experiences of Mahadhe Hasan and Shahariar Sadat from B’YEAH (Bangladesh) and Helena Casanovas Vieira from Aliança Empreendedora (Brazil) who have gone through the accelerator programme, and ways to get involved in the next phase.
Calling all young entrepreneurs, mentors and anyone running a business. Led by Bob Dorf, renowned serial entrepreneur, coach and thought leader, who will share his lessons and real-life stories from decades of practical experience on pitching and fundraising - a critical area now more than ever. Bring your ideas to share!
Prior to the Festival, YBI are running a series of Innovation Workshops attended by members, delivery partners and donors to ideate practical solutions to the most pressing and recurrent issues facing young entrepreneurs. In this session, we will take time to hear from those that took part and reflect on some of the key outcomes and highlights from the experience.
Our Innovation Award recognizes outstanding work in the field of innovation.
Hatch Enterprise is a UK-based charity that helps entrepreneurs from diverse backgrounds to launch and grow their ventures. PHD student and Hatch employee Reetu Sood is will draw upon her specialist expertise to lead a session on how entrepreneurs from minority backgrounds can overcome the additional barriers that are inherently faced as a result of smaller networks and reduced levels of social capital.
Networking is a key feature at any in-person event, and although virtual, GYEF is no different! You'll still get the opportunity to reconnect with old friends, get to know new ones, share the interesting things you are working on and learn about what other are doing. In our designated networking sessions, participants will have the chance to connect and discuss relevant topics related to entrepreneurship support.
Mentoring is an essential support tool that young entrepreneurs need, and in these challenging times it is more critical than ever. In this session, we will examine the importance of the three-way relationship; mentoring manager, entrepreneur, mentor and through their personal stories and experiences gain insights into what really works!
We will learn from conversations with Rose Namutebi, Mentoring Manager at ICCO Uganda, High-Flyer Entrepreneur Norah and Business Mentor Moses. In particular, we will hear about the challenges presented by Covid and how Norah has found a way through the difficult times and now looks forward to a positive future. The session will be hosted by John Cull, YBI's leading mentoring consultant for the past 20 years.
Amanda Scott introduces the Personal Boardroom - a practical, simple approach that will change the way you think about networks. Amanda will share learning from her research about networks in terms of the roles people play, looking at tools that are simple and practical to use. Overall, it will help you to identify gaps in your network and enable you to create a small, diverse group of people you trust who can help you succeed. Please contact joerg.schoolmann@youthbusiness.org for access to the recording of this event.
YBI has been working alongside some of its members to develop a new offering to support entrepreneurs during the recovery phase of the COVID-19 crisis. In this session, we will present the solution that has been designed.
Our Mentor Recognition Award will recognise the phenomenal support of YBI mentors who play a crucial role in shaping mentees' personal and professional development.
We mark to the close of what's set to be an amazing week by letting our hair down with friends old and new. We've compiled some of our favourite tried and tested Zoom social activities (and God knows we've had plenty to choose from after eight months of lockdown!) to make this session as fun, interactive and memorable as possible! Look forward to games, challenges and opportunities to get to know your fellow network members, or even see some of your existing global friends in a new light...
To register for the Festival sessions:
We have arranged for LIVE Spanish translation throughout the core hours of the Festival (1-4pm GMT). This will be facilitated by Interacio, a service which works through a free mobile app or a web browser. We will send full details on how to access the translation closer to the event.
If you have any questions about the Global Youth Entrepreneurship Festival 2020, please get in touch with our team. We will be happy to hear from you.
info@youthbusiness.orgTraining Manager – Youth Business Spain
Program Officer - Youth Business Mongolia
Amanda Scott is co-founder of Personal Boardroom and is the lead facilitator of its work.
Bob Dorf is one of the top Lean Innovation and Customer Development experts in the world.
Acceleration Officer – Somo Africa
Chad Littlefield is the co-founder and Chief Experience Officer of We and Me, Inc.
Executive Director - Enterprise Uganda
Global Programs - Accenture Development Partnerships
Entrepreneurship Program Director – Habitat Association
John has been involved with mentoring at YBI for nearly 20 years, long before it was the YBI we all know.
Product Manager - Qredits
Mark Curtis is Co-founder and Chief Client Officer at Fjord, part of Accenture Interactive
Freelance facilitator – Hatch Enterprise (UK)
CEA Program Officer – ICCO Uganda
Member of the Governing Board and Project Coordination Committee, B’Yeah (Bangladesh)
Leading global professional services company Accenture is a long-standing supporter of Youth Business International. Accenture acts as an advisor and partner to YBI, providing both funding and the time and skills of their employees to guide our strategic development. Over the last decade, Accenture has been instrumental in helping us grow and strengthen our global network. Learn more
Follow us on social media and join the conversation using the hashtag #GYEFest2020