Creating social change in China

We have received the following blog contribution from a Chinese participant of the Artemisia Social-Business Competition, Melody Chang. Due to internet censorship, Melody was not able to post herself, and asked us to share her thoughts here.

"Participating in Artemisia Social Business Competition has been one of the most valuable learning experiences for me. Social responsibility and youth development and many other world issues and topics have been some of the motivations for us to pursue and to launch our social business "Youth&Leader" (for more information, please visit http://www.youthandleader.org/ ), but also to make impact to the society and especially youth for they are the future of tomorrow's world.

It's a stimulating environment and team group. Everyone is of strong team work spirit and is with open-minded ideas and strong execution ability. I have to say I am really lucky to the opportunity to work with them, not to mention about how much we have learned from mentors, Henrique Bussacos and Howard Weinstein who I am sincerely thankful to for their efforts. Not only have I learnt from those great people and preeminent leaders of different fields, but also be inspired from the experiences to communicate with them and actually grow under their guidance, which would also be the drive for us to further develop our idea and put it into practice.

Youth&Leader's mission is to provide integrated platform and career opportunities via online learning platforms and connections to social networks that broaden the ability of our youth to participate in ways to combat poverty at the same time to provide the resources necessary to empower them to build a brighter future and make positive changes in their communities.

Recently we have held an event of Andrew Fiddaman's speech on entrepreneurship at Renmin University in Beijing, Mainland China. Andrew is the Managing Director of Youth Business International (YBI), one of The Prince of Wales Charities. Youth Business International (YBI) operates through a network of locally based Youth Business Programmes in 39 countries that help young people start their own business. Andrew is also on the advisory boards of various organizations dealing with leadership skills, enterprise development and social responsibility and is a member of the UN Economic Commission for Europe’s Team of Specialists on Entrepreneurship. Many of (the participating students) have already talked to me about the excitement at the time and after the event. I believe it would be one of the wonderful memory and learning experience for them to truly witness the charm and brightness of a leader from international level and to be encouraged to strive for excellence and fulfill our dreams. This is a start, and Youth&Leader would like to invite and gather more leaders and young students in the near future."

A letter to Artemisia

This is a letter that I've sent to Artemisia and now I'm posting here to share with you all.

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Dear Rob, Carol and all Artemisia team,

I’ve been thinking in what would be the best way to thank you all for being part of my life so, I decided to write, sharing with you what this experience close to Artemisia mean to me.

Since 2001 I’m looking for to build my career based on sustainable development values: helping people to do best choices or helping companies in change their way to do their business in a sustainable way. I started in CSR, the first concept I knew, and then my knowledge have been growing through my studies and experiences.

When I became an AIESEC member, I was leaving behind two years studying to public contests to enter in a big company like Petrobras or similar ones ‘cause I saw in there the only possible way to achieve my professional goals because I was tired to search in Belo Horizonte and don’t find an opportunity. Almost all my relatives and friends tried to make me give this path up because they used to say that “idealism” is for rich people or to the ones who wants to “die in hungry”, because, according to them, I couldn’t go on involved with this “social and environmental issues” because no one care about it enough to give me a job.

Only one person believed in me then and he always supported me in fighting for the things I believe, specially during those hard days and because of him I don’t have a thing to regret about it when I look back.

When I applied to Artemisia Sustainability Challenge in 2007 I didn’t know the difference it would make in my life. After 3 months of hard work I left that CONAL Conference with a lot more than a proud winner feeling: I had discovered a new way to do “the right thing”, a new way to see world’s problem, people to inspire me to bring my hopes back, and a “life mission” that would turn into my life-saver some months later.

One year later, in last october/november, after a tsunami on my personal life, I was motivated to apply to “Ser Más” initiative to an internship funded by Artemisia. Now, another year later, I’m here to say “THANK YOU” to Artemisia. My internship was one of the most amazing experiences I’ve ever had. México is an inspiring country, with sweet people but my experience in New Ventures was priceless. The opportunity to work close to a visionary and well succeed Ashoka fellow and all New Ventures team, so young and competent people, added much to me.

This experience helped me to open my mind to see new solutions for old issues and gave me new projects, new wings and new hopes.

My next steps include more experience in sustainable business development, a master course in entrepreneurship and a career helping people to grow in a sustainable way.

This is the Artemisia’s legacy in my life and I’d like to share with you because I think that feedbacks are important.