So I’’m sitting in the San Francisco airport, having just crossed the international date line. This is one cool job! Having said that, I’’m absolutely knackered. I’’ve just spent the last 10 days with Global Entrepreneurship Week Hosts from India and the UAE (in Bangalore); from Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia and China (in Singapore), and from Australia and New Zealand (in Sydney). We’’ve been talking about the campaign: how to build it up; how to get thousands of activities happening simultaneously worldwide; and how to connect young entrepreneurs from far-flung corners of the world.

Some of the highlights have included:

* Our newest Host signs up: – the Mohammed Bin Rashid Establishment for Young Business Leaders (www.sme.ae). They’’re a great organisation which helps support young entrepreneurs in Dubai. And this means the United Arab Emirates is officially country 64 to sign up to Global Entrepreneurship Week!

* Seeing the power of entrepreneurship in India: earlier this year our Indian co-Host NEN (www.nenonline.org) ran one of the most inspirational Entrepreneurship Weeks I’’ve ever seen, with thousands of students around the country lighting candles, making pledges and running mini-competitions in the name of enterprise. Check out http://www.nenonline.org/jsp/eweek09/index.jsp to see what they achieved. And this year they’’re planning to run Speednetworks in educational institutions across the country, to tackle some special Unleash It! challenges.

* Getting a Global Entrepreneurship Week T-shirt specially made by Dash, the aptly-named energetic head of Warisan Global, GEW Host for Malaysia. They’’re really well-equipped to run Global EW there – check out the website www.warisanglobal.com.

* Spending time at the National University in Singapore, Hosts for Global EW in that country. They’’ve got some great competitions planned – including an entrepreneurial treasure-hunt. See www.entrepreneurshipweeksg.org for more. They’’re also really keen to run something which connects up entrepreneurs regionally, and something which enables their (incredibly entrepreneurially-minded) students to network with their counterparts in the UK. What proof of the power of enterprise to connect people across borders!

* Being part of one of the first coalition meetings for the Host in Australia, Social Alchemy. They’’re working in partnership with organisations like AIESEC, a powerful international network of student ‘leaders of tomorrow’ (www.aiesec.org). And Social Alchemy is trying hard to get a series of Global EW Australia launches, in cities around Australia, building up to November itself. Check out www.socialalchemy.com.au for more.

I guess the main message I’ve picked up has been that the power of entrepreneurship,– as a force to bring young people together, and help them to address society’’s greatest issues, –is massive. Visible proof of the argument we make in our latest briefing (see Taking Entrepreneurship Global on www.makeyourmark.org.uk/policy/policy_documents).

Now to Washington DC, for discussions with the rest of the Global Entrepreneurship Week Planning Team. More details of the three seminars, with pictures, to follow shortly. But I’’d encourage anyone interested in the campaigns in these countries – or anyone wanting to link up with these campaigns this November,– to visit www.unleashingideas.org and get in touch with the Hosts there. They’’re really keen to connect youth from around the world into their own Entrepreneurship Weeks!

This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 5th, 2008 at 11:20 am and is filed under Behind the Scenes, Organizing The Week, Partners. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.