SOCIAL IMPACT ENTREPRENEURS AGED 25-35 APPLY HERE

Applications are currently open for the 2017 Australian-ASEAN Emerging Leaders program. This program is run by Asialink in partnership with the Australia-ASEAN Council. Australia Global Alumni is also a sponsor of this year’s program which means that at least four of the ten positions available to social entrepreneurs in South East Asia will be for alumni.

The Australia-ASEAN Emerging Leaders Program (A2ELP) has been designed to create meaningful people to people links between entrepreneurs across Asia. The focus of the program this year will be in the social impact space. The program will bring together ten social entrepreneurs from South-East Asia and five from Australia to take part in a series of innovative learning and development opportunities in 2017.

The program is designed for individuals who have up to 2/3 years of experience working in organisations that generate social impact. The program is looking for applicants with proposals to expand a social enterprise or create a new social venture. Participation in this program is fully funded, including travel and accommodation in Australia.

Over a four-month period, participants will:

  • build knowledge of scalable business models to create long term social impact
  • develop skills to engage a range of stakeholders, including pitches to potential investors
  • receive training in cultural intelligence, lean start-up methodology and impact gaps canvas
  • participate in networking events, including visits to innovative social ventures in Australia
  • discuss the latest thinking and ideas in social impact with academic experts and industry leaders
  • foster professional connections with participants through peer mentoring exercises and alumni engagement

Program participants will need to meet the following criteria:

  • a medium to high level of English language capability
  • aged between 25-35
  • at least two years’ experience working in a social venture or related organisation
  • able to travel to Australia for eight days to participate in the program, with additional time for pre-departure preparation and post-program engagement
  • actively interested in Australia-South East Asia and how interaction with peers from across the region would enhance their professional and personal development
  • awareness of challenges in their entrepreneurial area which can be explored during the program
  • access to required technology to film and submit short videos during the application, pre-departure preparation and program delivery processes
  • a social venture idea which is scale-able
  • able to both contribute to and benefit from the program
  • able to provide two referees (one professional, one character)

The Australia-ASEAN Emerging Leaders Program aims to showcase Australian and South-East Asian creativity and innovation in social impact. Applicants will be judged on the likelihood of their proposal delivering measurable impact; the potential for their social venture to develop links across the region over time; and their capacity to become an ambassador for social entrepreneurship and contribute to regional policy dialogues and industry roundtables.

The final selection of participants will reflect a diversity of professional and personal backgrounds, with one representative each selected from Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. All participants should have an active interest in learning and collaborating with peers from across Australia and South-East Asia.

For more information go to Australian-ASEAN Leaders Program.