What do you want to see?

This article original appeared in The National Networker



This is the question being asked by a networking group in London in response to the global financial crisis, war in the Middle East and increasing environmental concerns.

Unhappy at the noise emanating from the media and from politicians, the committee of European Young Professionals (EYP) felt that the time is ripe for individuals to have their say. They believe that networks, backed by modern social networking technology, are best placed to make that happen.

Ronny Ellefson, a founder of EYP and their Creative Director, said,”We launched the We Want to See website as a response to the state of the world at the moment. From the economic downturn, through environment concerns, to the fear of terrorism, we knew that our colleagues, our friends and our families had an opinion on the current issues affecting our world, and thoughts on how to change and improve them.

“By creating the site, we wanted to provide individuals with a platform on which to highlight their ideas on how to solve the world’s current problems. “

Contributors to the site have been invited to post a short video about what they want to see.

So far, the ideas submitted include dreams of personal success ("I'd like to see my name as a style guru in every fashion magazine in the world"); hopes for the global economy ("I'd like to see the end of the credit crunch"); the altruistic ("I'd like to see it be mandatory for private sector organisations to give 10% of their profits to fund projects in disadvantaged communities") and the frustrated sports fan who's already seen his dream fulfilled (I’d like to see Tottenham Hotspur climb off the bottom of the Premier League table").

EYP is well placed to kick-start such a campaign with a wide range of opinions from people originating from all over the world.

Originally formed in Thailand in 2005 to provide networking opportunities for young expats, EYP came to London at the beginning of 2007. The UK branch boasts a membership of young professionals based in London but with nationalities ranging from Australian to Russian, Polish, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian and Turkish. In fact, over 700 people from 40 countries attended the launch party in London in January 2007.

Nick Jonsson, a Swede who co-founded EYP in Thailand is the man who brought the concept to the UK.

“When I moved to London in 2006, I saw a similar need for a professional networking group to be set up in London. I found that even though London was filled with networking organisations, none were really focussed on young professionals and met my need to quickly establish professional contacts and friends. Using the model that worked so well in Bangkok and in partnership with contacts I had already made in London, we created a new chapter in London aimed at taking over the local networking scene.

“We launched EYP London at Cavendish No 5 in January 2007 and were thrilled with the turnout. In addition to the 700 people at the event, a further 200 “virtual” visitors attended in Second Life, an online community. We had rented a virtual island and had a launch event running concurrently, which we beamed into the event at Cavendish No 5 bar. It went down very well and we received fantastic feedback from both attendees and in the media.”

Since that launch, EYP has run regular events across London, all with a large turnout and tremendous buzz. James Swanston, EYP London’s Chief Executive since the beginning of 2008, said; “The real purpose of EYP London is to bring together professionals to create social networks and build business links.

“Our vision is to be innovative, supportive, creative, diverse and to offer a unique, valuable networking experience to all members - regardless of where they are from and their age. In fact, one of EYP’s points of difference from other networking organisations is that we have brought together a real mix of individuals from all industries – from banking and finance, PR, IT, entrepreneurs to dentists and doctors.”

With an average age of 30, EYP events take on a very social feel. Typically held in trendy nightclubs and with first drinks often sponsored, people go to their events primarily to have fun and make friends.

James continues, “What draws EYP members together is their strong desire to network and to gain experience – and friendships – within London.”

It is this mix of people and drive to be different that has led to the ‘We Want to See’ campaign. The network was keen to do something to create an impact to support Global Entrepreneurship Week in November and as part of their event that week, which is a flagship event for Speednetwork the Globe. Giving their members a say and encouraging people to speak out about their dreams for a brighter future (or better football results) seemed to meet that aim.

From there, it is hoped that the campaign will become truly viral, with people of all ages and backgrounds worldwide sharing their hopes and dreams.

“We hope that through the site, more individuals will feel empowered to discuss their ideas and views on solving issues within today’s climate,” says Ronny Ellefson. “The site also ties in with EYP’s ethos, which is aimed at supporting our members to make their ideas into a reality.”

An Enterprising Initiative

This article original appeared in The National Networker

A campaign that started in the UK four years ago goes global in November. In 2007 over 5,000 networking events ran in seven days to celebrate ‘Enterprise Week’, part of the Make Your Mark Campaign to encourage young people to have ideas and make them happen. Over half a million people attended events, from Make Your Mark in Retail to The Enterprising Young Brits Awards and thousands of small meetings run by networks up and down the country.

The UK campaign has had such a big impact that 17-23 November 2008 is now Global Entrepreneurship Week. The event, co-founded by Make your Mark and the Kauffman Foundation, the World’s largest foundation devoted to entrepreneurship, will see more than 60 countries around the World participate. Expanding the original remit from just young enterprise, the week will include other celebrations, such as Women’s Enterprise Day on 19th November and Social Enterprise Day 24 hours later.

Tim Smit, co-founder of the Eden Project and a Social Enterprise Ambassador, says, “I believe social enterprise is going to be a hugely significant development that can be applicable to anything from the multinational to a corner shop. Social Enterprise Day is all about inspiring more driven, talented young people with values to use their instincts and go into social enterprise.”

Social Enterprise is a key way to capture young people’s business imaginations. Phil Tulba, of the Make Your Mark campaign sees it as a serious business model for the 21st century, one which is extremely popular with young people and will encourage them to become more proactive and enterprising. “Social Enterprise Day will empower more young people to think about innovative, ethical and sustainable solutions to social problems. It will give them the inspiration to have ideas that could have a positive impact on their local community or a global issue.”

David McQueen has spent the last twenty years speaking in schools in communities across the UK. Encouraging children from some of the most deprived inner-city areas to see entrepreneurship and business in a positive light and as a valid career option, Enterprise Week is a perfect match. This year will be David’s third Enterprise Week and he recognises its immense value in giving young people a share of the responsibility for their own futures.

“Enterprise Week allows young people to create their own ideas, gives them permission to take risks and offers them the satisfaction of seeing the results, giving them much more confidence in the long-run.

“As a businessman, it’s a great way of giving back and also learning a lot from the creative ideas the students come up with. It’s amazing how young people can think on the spot and a lot of the ideas can surprise you. You may think that you have seen all of the creative ideas possible but sometimes the innovation young people show is startling.

“Last year we had a group working on creating a low-cost airline that would still reduce carbon footprint. A lot of the ideas they came up with were incredibly sharp, matching the environmental concerns they were focusing on with the basics of running a business.”

One thing that hits you when you get involved with an organisation such as Make Your Mark and events like Enterprise Week is the sheer scale of achievement of young entrepreneurs in the UK.

I first met Patrick Philpott three years ago, when he was a 15 year old schoolboy running networking events for local businesses between school and homework. Patrick has been very involved with the Make Your Mark Campaign for the last three years and, having just turned 19 and completed his schooling, now gives talks to university students about how they can be more enterprising and, through his new business Skill Education runs workshops on enterprise and communication skills for schoolchildren.

“I first came across Make Your Mark in 2005 when I was running the networking events and I was invited to a Downing Street function to launch Enterprise Week and made an Ambassador for the campaign”, said Patrick. “Since then I’ve been involved with raising the profile of the campaign through the media and last year spoke for the Institute of Directors during Enterprise Week.

“As a young entrepreneur it’s given me a chance to raise my profile in the media and make genuinely useful connections with senior figures in business and politics.”

The British Government has been a big supporter of Enterprise Week. The Prime Minister handed out awards at last year’s Enterprising Young Brits Awards, while Government ministers spoke at various events through the week.

The UK’s Business Secretary John Hutton sees building an enterprise culture as an important part of the Government’s enterprise strategy. “We should feel proud that the UK will be leading the world in this major celebration of enterprise this November. It is enormously exciting to see the Enterprise Week model that has worked so well in this country, begin to take hold globally.

“We want this ambitious initiative to connect thousands of successful young business leaders here with their counterparts internationally to spark off new ideas, share information and develop opportunities.”

The development of Enterprise Week globally has come about as the result of other countries picking up on what was happening in the UK. “The initiative was copied last year by, amongst others, the Americans, Chinese and French”, explains Anjoum Noorani, Head of International Campaigns for Make Your Mark. “As a result, we decided, together with the Kauffman Foundation, to create Global Entrepreneurship Week.

“The aim was to create new campaigns in new countries, link up campaigns between countries, appeal to new audiences in the UK, and to instill a global mindset in UK young entrepreneurs.”

Going global can only help Enterprise Week achieve even more results and encouraging a worldwide approach to enterprise and innovation is becoming increasingly important in worrying times. Harry Rich, Chief Executive of Make Your Mark, puts it succinctly, “Enterprise is not a zero-sum game. One country’s success does not deprive other countries in the long-term. The sharing of ideas between entrepreneurs and innovators across the globe is our best hope in tackling the major global challenges common to all nations.”