JA and Goodwall: Tapping Into the Entrepreneurial Spirit Around the World
July 25, 2023
Last July, we announced a partnership with Goodwall, a mobile-first platform and community designed to help young entrepreneurs and aspiring businesspeople unlock their full potential. Over six months, from October 2022 through April 2023, Goodwall and JA asked young people around the world to create videos and pitch their ideas for businesses that would help solve or alleviate issues they saw in their communities.
Focusing on work readiness and entrepreneurship, three challenges—#Pitch, #ThriveTogether, and #IAmAnInnovator—aimed to introduce and instill the entrepreneurial mindset, skillset, and spirit in young people.
Ultimately, the three challenges reached young people from 93 countries ranging in age from 16 to 30+ years old. After receiving more than 2,000 video submissions, 34 entrants received cash prizes for their ideas.
#Pitch
The ten winning #Pitch entries proposed businesses in the energy supply, agriculture, fashion, food service, talent, circular, and film industries, with 50% of the winning business ideas focusing on serving young people.
Five of the ten winners believed in providing education and resources to help youth improve individually and contribute positively to their communities. They believed that by empowering and engaging young people, they could reduce the likelihood of crime involvement and the negative impacts of poverty. Other successful business ideas included increasing access to healthy food, developing sustainable energy alternatives, building sustainable homes, and creating food cooperatives.
Watch the winning #Pitch videos.
#IAmAnInnovator
Participants in the #IAmAnInnovator challenge focused on education, pitching ideas about making education more accessible through online courses as well as meeting the needs of those with diverse learning abilities.
#ThriveTogether
The #ThriveTogether challenge asked young people, “If you could fix one issue in your community, what would it be?” Participants highlighted waste management and education as the top two concerns among many others, including rape, violence, malnutrition, drug abuse, climate change, and stray animals.
