Thank you for helping us and our partners activate young people through YES Challenges, so that they can discover themselves as changemakers.

I believe that investing in young people is investing in the future. My friend and mentor, Ali Raza Khan, founder of YES Network Pakistan, developed the youth-led changemaking model, which allows us to invest in young people and directly see both social and financial returns. This model requires very little money to activate youth, yet delivers tremendous results.

With Ali's guidance, we’ve tested this model in different environments through the YES Challenge. Our facilitators introduce young people to the idea of becoming changemakers, encouraging them to launch value-adding projects in society. If they’re interested, they can sign up for a YES Challenge, where we provide a small amount of money—around $25 per team of 3-5 young people. They have two weeks to come up with an idea, launch it, make a profit, and reflect on what they’ve learned.

This isn’t just about youth entrepreneurship, though new enterprises and jobs may emerge. It’s about activating young people, showing them they have the changemaker gene, that they can add value to society, and that they can be creators, not just passive consumers.

Watch the video above to learn more about the process and how your support could be a powerful investment in the future.

Sincerely,

Thomas Jakel

Co-founder, YES Founders Foundation