One Young World ambassadors generate social impact
It has been almost eight months since the 10th anniversary summit of One Young World (OYW) in London, where leaders from around the world gathered to develop solutions to the globe’s most pressing issues. Since attending the OYW summit, the ten delegates sent by LBS have developed their own initiatives, with the aim of bringing about positive change in their community and beyond. Here are some of the highlights so far…
Nikita Dhesikan, MiM 2019
After attending OYW in 2019 and completing non-profit consulting projects across three countries while at LBS, Nikita came away with a strong appreciation for the power of intersecting business and activism - and a mission to contribute toward sustainable global change. To this end, she has created and launched Bottled at the source, a non-profit social enterprise linking the worlds of skincare and social impact.
The organisation’s goal is to support under-resourced communities while changing the status-quo of sustainable skincare. Bottled at the source connects customers to pure forms of natural products straight from the source. It invests the proceeds back into those communities through UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) initiatives, with an emphasis on improved education and healthcare (SDGs three and four).
So far, Nikita has conducted sourcing trips to Malta (for olive oil) and Brazil (for maracuja oil). The purpose of these trips has been to meet local communities, understand the natural skincare landscape within the country, and connect with sustainable growers. Looking to the future, Nikita says: “As soon as we can get travelling again, we plan to resume sourcing trips, leading up to our first product release and campaign.”
Ana Dju, Assistant, Wheeler Institute for Business and Development
With OYW being the highlight of her 2019, Ana came away from the conference feeling like there are endless possibilities to create impactful change locally and globally. Since the summit, Ana has used her already established Djú&Có project to support young people from the Afro-Lusophone community.
Due to the current climate, Ana has moved her planned events online to Instagram where discussions have revolved around mental health, finance, careers and education. The sessions have been hosted by speakers who have been tailoring their advice to the current climate. As a result of high demand, Djú&Có created a PDF pack on mental health that generated over 150 followers in three days.
In response to the coronavirus outbreak in Africa, Ana and a group of Lusophone Diaspora youth raised 3000 Euros to help with the efforts in Guinea-Bissau in support of the most remote villages with no access to government subsidies. She has also been working in collaboration with a local organisation to make assessments on low income and most vulnerable families and delivering Cesta Basica – a basic basket of food items. Fundraising events are being held monthly until the lockdown eases up in the country.
Prasannajeet Mane, MAM 2020
As part of his OYW project, Prasanna has started a health and wellbeing initiative at LBS with his peers, Carl Mönefors (MAM 2020) and Ana Campomar. Peer Support Group for mental wellbeing (PSG) consists of a series of events on campus aimed at raising awareness, destigmatising open discussions and providing professional advice about mental well-being.
Supported by the Student Association and LBS Wellbeing Services, Prasanna has organised monthly events, where guests have included TED speaker Dr Thomas Curran, LBS’s Emma Fox, and prominent psychiatrist Dr Cyrus Abbasian. The most recent talk from Dr Abbasian was the first of a series of webinars started by PSG to educate and advise people during the pandemic.
The topics of talks have ranged from ‘The dangers of burnout’ to ‘Coping with negative emotions and look after our mental wellbeing’. They have received excellent feedback not just from LBS students and staff, but from students and professionals from around the world, particularly the US, India, Canada, Singapore, China and Australia.
Funmilola Awosanya, Founder of Opportunities World, Nigeria
Since the 2019 summit Funmilola has embarked on a Food Aid project, partnering with various foundations and organisations including SheLearns, Yegi Foundation and Dreams From the Slum, as well as West African ambassadors from OYW. Her project, Oppourtunities World, has aided the distribution of food, hand sanitisers and gloves, as well as enabling social distancing measures to be maintained in the region of Ajegunle Apapa, Lagos State.
The project has provided over 1000 people with essential information about the virus including advice on maintaining social distancing, and how to find and safely cook nourishing food. Through her partnership with the SafetyChic, Funmilola has distributed over 100 books titled the ‘The Adventures of Muna - A Kid-to-Kid Safety Guide’ to children in the region. The book educates children about the disease and shows them how they can maintain good hygiene during and after the pandemic.
Funmilola has also carried out an entrepreneurial project training over 180 youths in different culinary skills as a means of preparing them for the world of work after the pandemic period. During the weekend of 9 and 10 May, participants were trained in bread, cake, and juice making.
