In support of social entrepreneurship, please see the announcement below. It’s for youth aged between 16 and 21, and I will be glad to exchange eMails with any young African who wishes to apply and may need some support. This doesn’t mean influencing the process, but helping to fill obvious gaps…

Dear Youth Educators, Community Leaders and Young People,

On behalf of the students of the University of Oxford, Saïd Business School, we are honoured to invite you to participate in the second international:

Youth Business Development (YBD) Competition YBD is based on the business plan course run on the world-renowned Oxford MBA programme, in which teams of MBA students develop original business ideas with the help of faculty and consultants. Inspired by the energy and excitement of this process, the Oxford MBA Class has committed to bring a similar experience to young people from across our diverse international home communities. The objectives of this are both to catalyze the development of new social enterprises, and to leverage the many skills and experiences of Oxford?s MBA students t owards helping young people from diverse backgrounds develop confidence, life skills and understanding of business enterprise and its potential for social change. It is open to ALL young people, irrespective of background or education.

For Round 1, we invite all teams to submit their ideas for enterprises with a social focus by 31st March 2007. Round 2 will provide a select number of teams the opportunity to further develop their ideas in a 7-10 page submission during the summer whilst being mentored by an Oxford MBA student. The YBD is a unique opportunity for young people around the world to gain business planning, team working and communications skills which will be vital to their future development prospects and selfesteem. In addition they will gain valuable insights into the world of social enterprise, with the Saïd Business School?s Skoll Centre & Oxford University being amongst the world?s leading centres for research and teaching on the subject. Our prize fund of £2,000 gives the chance for top applicants to start putting their ideas into practice. We also offer second round Finalists the unique opportunity of being mentored by MBA students, and thereby becoming part of our broad social and business network. Ongoing mentoring (after the competition ends) will also be provided to shortlisted finalists to continue their development and learning through a continued relationship with Oxford students.

Each team is required to have a Local Liaison Mentor. This provides the competition organisers with a neutral point of contact in each locality and for each team. If you are a Youth Educator or Community Leader, you have been identified through the Oxford University, Saïd Business School network as someone who might be interested in supporting the competition in your institution or area by acting as a Local Liaison Mentor. If so, we would heartily encourage you to support us in taking our competition and the opportunities it offers to young people wherever they may be and whatever their background. If you are a young person aged 16-21 and are interested in submitting an application in Round 1 of the competition then please identify in your application the details of a person in your local community who is willing to act as your Local Liaison Mentor.

Enclosed with this letter you will find further details on the entry requirements for the competition, answers to common queries and a flyer which you are welcome to print off and put up in your local area or institution. Please also be sure to look at our website which provides more information about the competition, social entrepreneurship and the Said Business School as well as other resources to help teams develop their ideas. The website can be found at: www.sbs.ox.ac.uk/OBA/se/ybd. We hope you are as excited about the potential of the YBD competition as we are and look forward to receiving entries from your locality before the first round deadline of 31st March 2007.

With thanks,
The YBD Management Committee

Requirements for Round 1 (which is due on March 31, 2007 and to be sent by eMail to ybd@oba.co.uk) include:

1. 1 page idea summary
   • What is your idea?
   • What problem is it trying to solve?
   • Who benefits and how?
2. 1 page application form (download here), including in less than 300 words a brief background of your team together with a summary of the benefit you would gain in being mentored by an Oxford MBA student if you reach the second round of the competition.

Additional information on the competition follows:

What are the Team and Age Restrictions?
All team members must be aged between 16 and 21 during the course of 2007. Each team must have 3 to 5 members.

Who can be a Local Liaison Mentor?
Ideally this would be someone working in a position of responsibility with young people such as a teacher, University lecturer, social worker, youth group worker, religious leader or other community leader. The role will be to act as a contact point for the competition organizers, to assist teams in the production of their initial ideas, and if necessary to confirm status of team members and specific aspects of project ideas.

How should we present our idea?
Teams may use any combination of words, pictures and diagrams, but the Idea Summary is limited to 1 page ONLY. If you are able to structure your entry in line with the questions shown in the box above then it will make it easier for the judging panel to assess your ideas. In addition you should provide us with the Application Form enclosed, including your 300-word ?background and benefits? section.

What if we need further guidance? Who should we contact?
In the first instance you should review the more detailed Frequently Asked Questions page on our website. In addition Regional Coordinators are available for you to contact with more specific queries. In Round 1 teams are also free to seek the advice of their Local Liaison Mentor to test their ideas. Teams are encouraged to have fun, take a chance, and just get their idea out there!

What language can we submit in?
We have limited capacity for assessing multiple entries in languages other than English. If possible, you should submit your ideas in English. If you cannot then you should contact your Regional Coordinator (see website for contact details) and ask them if assistance is available for translating submissions from a language other than English.

How will ideas be judged in Round 1?
Our key criteria for judging which teams will progress from Round 1 to be mentored in Round 2 are:

• The quality of the idea proposed and its potential for further development
• The benefit the team will gain in having an MBA student help develop their idea
• The personal benefit team individuals will receive from the experience of a close ongoing interaction with an MBA mentor

Summaries will be judged on the quality of the idea, not the fanciness of the language. We favour simple, clear, plain talk. Remember, this is not about ideas which make lots of money (though that would be a bonus!) but those which have the potential to improve the lives of those in your community, or the environment in which you live.

Any other advice for Round 1 entries?
Do not try to think too big. Many of the most effective social enterprises work at the local level. See our website for Finalists from the 2006 competition as examples. Think about issues which you observe in the communities and world around you. Think about the tools you may be able to use to provide solutions to these problems. Remember that the objective is to deliver social value alongside, or in the place of, pure financial profit. Ideas may range from a new technology or product through to a new way of working in an old industry that delivers more social value than today. Social enterprise takes many forms and we do not intend to be too strict in our assessment, but we will certainly look for evidence that you have considered social outcomes in developing your idea. For more information on social enterprise/social entrepreneurship check out our website and that of the Skoll foundation (www.skoll.org) which supports Oxford?s Saïd Business School in this area.

What happens in Round 2?
More information will be provided once this stage is reached, but here is a summary of what you should expect. In Round 2, a select number of Finalist Teams chosen from all the entries submitted in Round 1 will be challenged by our YBD Judging Panel to develop the idea further into a 7-10 page formal business plan. At this point each team will be provided with a mentor from the Oxford MBA class who will support the team towards the goal of completing their business plan. Mentors will be allocated to teams on the basis of having appropriate background and expertise matching the team?s idea. Finally, a YBD Venture Capital Panel will review the business plan submitted by each Finalist to determine the 2007 YBD Winner or Winners, the distribution of the £2,000 prize fund and allocation of other awards (all by late September 2007).

Why YBD?
YBD builds on three of the core strengths of Oxford?s Saïd Business School:

• Social Focus: Saïd Business School hosts the Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship (with 9 teaching fellows, and five full scholarships annually for MBAs with impressive track records in social entrepreneurship), and the Oxford Business Network for Social Entrepreneurship (the highest attended student interest group). We view ?business? not as a route to personal wealth but as a powerful tool for solving social and economic issues around the globe.
• Internationalism: 41 countries are represented on the 2006-07 program, making us proud to be one of the most diverse MBA classes in the world. This environment has instilled in us a deep belief in the power and value of international networks. YBD connects young people with others from around the world, in addition to a lifelong MBA global network.
• Entrepreneurship: roughly 20% of Oxford MBA?s go on to pursue careers as entrepreneurs. We view entrepreneurship as an engine of change and progress in our world. Entrepreneurship is not simply about ?profit.? Entrepreneurs invent new solutions in all sectors, e.g. finding new ways to treat blindness among the poor (see www.Ashoka.org) or developing new types of banks and lending policies (see www.lemonbank.com). The leading social entrepreneur, Muhammad Yunus of Grameen Bank won the 2006 Nobel Prize for Economics. Young people will be ahead of the curve if they develop early entrepreneurial instincts. YBD is an invaluable first step.

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It’s 2:22am and there was a slight argument between my mind and body: where are we? As far as my mind was concerned (based on earlier plans), I was already in my hotel room in Cotonou, but my body still woke up in Lagos. Okay, reality is that I had to shelve my earlier travel plans, but will hit the road in a few hours.

I’m off to Benin Republic for consulting work and to speak at a school, and will proceed to Ghana for more work — and will take advantage of that opportunity to also participate in a few of the Ghana @ 50 events. Incidentally, I arrive Accra on the exact day that the nation attained independence 50 years ago! I am a proud African and can only imagine what thoughts were on the president’s mind when he said, “However much we differ on issues, there are moments, which should bring us together. One such moment is the Golden Jubilee of our nation?s independence. We should rejoice in the fact that in spite of many periods of uncertainty and difficulties in the last 50 years, we have managed to pull together as a nation to this day… Let us resolve to draw a firm line between our chequered and unhappy past and a future full of hope, achievement and fellow feeling.
With such a resolve, we cannot fail. Long Live Ghana!”

According to the Ghana @ 50 website: “On March 6, 1957, Ghana became the first country in Africa south of the Sahara to gain independence from colonial rule. 2007, marks 50 years of independence. The theme for the anniversary is Championing African Excellence. Ghana?s first President, Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, envisioned this country as the guiding light of African independence and solidarity — the BLACK STAR, the lodestar of Africa. Ghana?s attainment of independence and the subsequent ideological support it extended to other colonized countries on the continent, culminated in the emancipation of many of these countries from colonial rule.”

I think the main objectives for the jubilee celebrations are quite interesting: celebrating and commemorating Ghana?s landmark achievement as the first country in Black Africa to attain independence from colonial rule; reflecting on the evolution, development, achievements and drawbacks of our country over the past fifty (50) years; and to look forward to the future, to a vision of excellence in all fields of endeavour in the next fifty (50) years toward our centenary birthday as a nation. I also find the year-long activities marking the Golden Jubilee interesting, with activities beginning in January 2007 and ending in December 2007 with themes such as January’s Reflections, February’s Towards Emancipation, March’s Freedom March, April’s Our Nation, Our People, May’s Our Wealth and Our Prosperity, June’s Heroes of Ghana Month, July’s African Unity Month, August’s Diaspora Month, September’s Service to the Nation, October’s Knowledge and Ghana?s Development, November’s A Healthy People, A Healthy Nation and December’s Final Curtain.

I’m glad that I’ll be part the Freedom March, and look forward to Nigeria’s 50th anniversary in 3 years!

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I looked off the laptop for a few minutes but it ended up being a 120-minute interesting movie experience at home. The title wasn’t very attractive but the storyline caught my fancy. The movie, Gridiron Gang, features the story of some teenagers kept at a juvenile facility for their obviously dangerous lifestyles. The duo who kept them under check, Exhibit and The Rock, toyed with a few ideas on how to keep the boys out of trouble because 75% of them would likely end up in prison after their release, and most of the others in the grave. While trying to convince the facility managers about what should be done, they suggested starting a football team but that sounded too dangerous. In short, it was tagged impossible.

The Rock, in response to the accusation of thinking up an impossible idea, said something amazing: We have to try the impossible because the possible isn’t working! The words came through like they were not some script put together by an Hollywood writer — how very true! I started writing this immediately after that… How many times have we kept trying hard to do things the way the way they’re expected to be done or the way we’ve always tried to do them? I remember those true words about attempts and madness: it is outright madness to do the same things over and again, while expecting different results.

On how many of your involvements have you kept trying to achieve success through the possible? I honestly think it’s time to try the impossible. A few years ago, I was tempted to keep at the possible way of living: graduate, get a job, work hard, earn gbemu (you must be Nigerian to get that), get promoted, settle down, have children, watch them grow, retire, grow old, etc. Now, that sounds very flat when you really think about it, but isn’t that what many of us work hard at when all we do in school is just cram-pass-forget (CPF) for all the courses that come our way? My decision then, in 1999/2000, was to get off that possible CPF model train, and jump onto the back of the impossible.

The impossible, for me at that time, was to dream of a career that would open up Nigeria, Africa and the world to me — for the one simple opportunity of making a difference. It started with the ‘Gbenga Sesan: Strategic Management Plan 2001 - 2005 document (which was written in a notebook, not typed). The horizon got clearer as the years went by, because the major decision to move away from the possible to the impossible was already made. The years 2001 to 2005 proved to be very useful for my career, and I look back now and smile — at times wondering how I ever got around sacrificing the comfortable for the most-likely-not-going-to-be-comfortable-at-first. The successes of those five years informed the very ambitious 2006 - 2015 plan which defines ‘Gbenga Sesan 2.0.

This is clearly not about me alone, but goes to show that we have to try the impossible because the possible isn’t working! I should get back to the movie now…

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The last eMail I sent with my former laptop was to the African Leadership Institute (AfLI), to submit my application for the Archbishop Desmond Tutu Leadership Fellowship program, having been nominated by Prof. Bolaji Aluko — one of Nigeria’s proud sons in the US (both in terms of his national pride towards Nigeria, and the nation’s pride in him for his evidently diverse expertise). I considered the nomination a huge honour, having read on the AfLI website that the program is “a prestigious programme with the main objective of providing a unique multi-faceted leadership learning experience for the next generation of Africa’s leaders” and that the selected fellows are usually the “cream of Africa’s future leaders in all sectors.” The program website also stated that “20 young people between the ages of 25 and 40 are selected as high potential leaders from across Africa based on their leadership potential.”

Two days ago, I was notified of my selection along with 19 others (8 men and 11 women) and you can imagine my excitement. What adds value to this for me is the fact that it comes as a perfect fit towards my research and career plans. The Archbishop Desmond Tutu Leadership Fellowship program is a one year part-time programme, which allows students have follow-on participation as Archbishop Desmond Tutu Fellows of AfLI network, with expectation to attend AfLI’s leadership learning and Alumni events. The program consists of two 10-day Group Learning Modules in South Africa and Oxford; group projects between modules; individual leadership project to apply and develop leadership in community; ongoing coaching/mentoring; and networked interaction and debate on global & African issues. “The Archbishop Desmond Tutu Leadership Fellowship program is the flagship program of the AfLI which aims to provide a platform for learning by potential future leaders across the African continent. The aim is to introduce young achievers who are likely to become leaders in the various sectors from business, government to community levels to key principles, requirements and challenges of leadership. The program, as planned, is intended to initiate the generation that will become leaders in Africa in the future to issues of leadership, expose them to ideas on how to lead and to be successful leaders, and help them to experience leadership issues before they become leaders themselves.”

At the end of the program, trainees become Archbishop Desmond Tutu Leadership Fellows and “[t]he aim is assist in developing a network of future leaders that will have the capacity and the vision to contribute to the transformation of the African continent and that can provide support to each other.” The program’s curriculum includes exploring “leadership theory and in particular the specifics of African leadership during the workshop in Stellenbosch, as well as developing a greater awareness of themselves as leaders. In line with Oxford’s philosophy, the tutorial approach is applied to stimulate wider and deeper thinking about the subject, and personal reflection to understand and develop their own leadership capabilities in both an African and global context, and to set their own leadership goals. A variety of speakers share their experiences and perspectives on leadership and practical exercises in groups throw new light on the challenges of leadership.”

It continues, “[t]he workshop will also explore and debate the harder issues of the challenges African leaders face now and in the future if Africa is to be successful, which sets the scene for a group project which runs the full length of the programme — the development of scenarios of the future of Africa. Work on this project will continue between the workshops by electronic communication using the Institute’s private web-site facilities.” I look forward to the program — meeting the other 19, learning more about leadership, becoming a better leader, etc. I’m also excited that “a mentoring programme will be established to support and nurture the Fellows between and after the workshops, and provide a vehicle through which they can review and continuously reflect upon their leadership learning, and the goals they will set for themselves on the programme.” And just listen to this: “In addition, Fellows will be required as an integral part of the programme, to apply their learning to the benefit of the broader community. This implies leading a project outside their normal work environment, for the betterment of the broader community.” Did I hear someone whisper youth-led social technopreneurship?

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Youths Roundtable with 2007 Presidential Aspirants

Theme: Promoting Strategic and Active Youth Participation towards a Successful 2007 Polls
Country Focus: Nigeria
Historical Focus: Transition from Civil Government to Civil Government, May 29th, 2007
Historical Event Focus: Presidential Elections April 21st, 2007
Historical Engagement Activity: Youths Roundtable with 2007 Presidential Aspirants.
Call: Join Group 100, a dynamic and unusual group of young Nigerians, committed to supporting the proposed Roundtable to secure a better deal for the Nigeria youths in the emerging Nigeria
Organizing Secretariat: Youngstars Foundation

Background
Fellow Nigerian Youths, it is no longer in contention that elections are paramount features of democratic processes anywhere in the world. This is because an election outcome produces leadership, which invariable during its administration determines the direction of a society and the well being of her citizenry. Its 2007 and elections are here again. Something historical is in the offing in Nigeria. Whether we know it or not, the 2007 Elections and Transition from this government to another democracy is set to usher a new paradigm shift in our national life. Nigeria will never be the same again. Power will shift from over 70s to the under 70s to say the least. Therefore, the roles of young people in the elections and democratic processes is very critical and crucial. As youths we are also strategic stakeholders in the Nigeria Nation. We are a powerful constituency and must get involved in a more strategic way. One of which is to begin to negotiate for space in the emerging Nigeria by engaging the emerging leaders of the emerging Nigeria before the 2007 elections.

Before elections:

• Politicians court and praise youths
• Candidates ride with youths in buses, visit them in football fields and address them
• Politicians promise free and better education
• Candidates reply our letters and take our calls
• Politicians make promises and promises
• Candidates give youths T-shirts, face caps, bags of salt for our mothers and lunch money after rallies
• Politicians say the votes of the youths are needed and very important to them

But after the elections, especially when they do win:

• They become too busy to meet with the youths
• They fly in airplanes, drive in motorcades and tinted glass jeeps and attend cocktail parties
• They send their children to schools overseas
• They hardly reply our letters or return our calls
• The promises become slogans until the next Four years when they return for our votes again
• They build mansions, give their friends inflated contracts and are caught with millions of dollars at international airports
• Youths become too young to be consulted and involved on public policy

But the times have since changed! Youths have realized that it is their duty to demand to know from the emerging leaders what they have for the youths in very concrete terms should they assume positions of power. When they also emerge, youths shall have a credible document with which to engage the new government on youth development in Nigeria. The Roundtable is one sure way of negotiating for space in the emerging Nigeria. And to do this, dynamic young people are ready to put pressure on themselves to give voice and visibility to youth issues in Nigeria and to also ensure success of the 2007 elections. Group 100 provides a historical platform for youths to participate in a strategic way towards this goal. Members of Group 100 are young Nigerians below the ages of 35 living within and outside Nigeria, committed to ensuring the conduct of this Roundtable.

Objectives

1. To mobilize youths from the 6 geo-political zones of the country for a representational dialogue to articulate a common document/ agenda on youth development for the 2007 the Political Parties and their Presidential Flagbeaeres
2. To collate, understudy and analyze the manifestos and development agendas of the 2007 Presidential Candidates vis-à-vis key youth development issues articulated in their programs
3. To interact with the Political Parties and Candidates with a view of ascertaining the practical ways or programmes of the Candidates towards youth development and achieving the MDGs during their administration.
4. To empower participants with basic engagement skills to productively engage the 2007 Candidates, i.e. skills on critical thinking, language and document analysis, developing position statements, questions and answer (communication), advocacy, lobbying, among others
5. To acquaint the Candidates on the felt-needs of the Nigeria youths, thus enable Candidates review and develop a more concrete youth development agenda in their manifesto
6. To identify more creative ways young people shall actively and positively participate in ensuring a successful, peaceful and credible elections in April 2007, with emphasis on Election Observation and Monitoring

Date: Tuesday 27th ? Friday 30th, March 2007
Venue: Rockview Hotel Conference Hall, Maitama Abuja
Time: 9:00am ? 5:00pm
Forum Participants: Between 70 ? 120 youth leaders from the 6 geo-political zones of the country

Modality
The Roundtable is designed to be a 4-day event, schedule to hold in Abuja two weeks before the Presidential Elections. The 4-day event is divided into 2 sessions daily, Morning and Afternoon sessions.

Morning Section are for:

• Skill Building Activities,
• Studying and Understanding the Manifestos and Youth Agenda of Presidential Candidates,
• Articulating points and issues for interaction with the aspirants.

During the Morning sessions, participants will be divided into syndicate or cluster groups to deliberate on Candidates Manifestos and articulate common youth issues for presentation.

Afternoon sessions are for:

• Interacting with the Political Parties and Presidential Candidates in person on their Manifestos and development programs,
• Interacting with Presidential Candidates on youth development issues articulated by participants from the different zones.

During the afternoon session, representatives from the Syndicate/Cluster Groups shall interact with the Candidates in a coordinated way. Towards the end, general feedbacks are shall be accepted from the general house. Prominent individuals from government, development agencies and civil society organizations shall be invited to be part of the Panel and Dialogue.

Presidential Candidates shall not attend the Roundtable by Proxy. The Candidate is however free to choose any of the days to appear. At the end of the 4 days, results of the Roundtable shall be widely publicized and circulated among youths. Approximately 70 ?120 youths are expected to participate in the Roundtable.

NOTE: The Roundtable is not design to endorse any Presidential Candidate. Neither shall it be a platform for debate between the presidential candidates. Youths are rather expected to use the outcomes of the Roundtable to make informed voting choices. Efforts are being made to ensure that the Afternoon Sessions with candidates shall be broadcast Live.

Expected Outcome

1. A national representational youth document articulating youth expectations, which can become a credible guide for youth policy and development agenda for the incoming government shall be developed.
2. An engagement document with which young people can engage and dialogue with the new government when they emerge, shall be developed.
3. A youth friendly strategic document articulating how youths shall be actively involved in a successful and credible election, specifically in the area of Election Observation and Monitoring; and mandate protection shall be developed.
4. The emergence of more credible and people focused leadership from the 2007 Elections is expected.

Benefits

1. The Presidential Candidates shall have a unique opportunity to promote their 2007 Candidature and programs to the youths and general populace at large.
2. Candidates stand to gain strategic youth support and goodwill towards their 2007 aspirations.
3. Youths shall acquire additional leadership and engagement skills required to effectively engage in the democratic space.
4. New government increases investment in youths and supports them in a strategic way when in power.
5. Youths gain more visibility and recognition in the new government and a sense of fulfillment and satisfaction for contributing to the process.

Call for Collaboration
To ensure the successful conduct of the proposed Roundtable, the importance of partnership cannot be over-emphasised. Moreso, adults and development partners have valuable experiences and resources to bring to bear on such a model initiative by young people. Partnership is also a unique way of building youth leadership and competence via-a-vis nation building. We therefore wish to solicit the support and partnership of relevant agencies and development partners towards making the Roundtable a success.

About Group 100
Group 100 are a group of young Nigerians below the ages of 35 years, genuinely passionate about a better Nigeria and a better deal for the youths in the emerging Nigeria. Group 100 members are demonstrating their commitment by donating a token of N10,000 or $100 for those outside Nigeria, to ensure that this Roundtable holds as scheduled! This is a strategic way of complimenting the support and partnership of development. For more detail about the initiators, lead youth conveners and project, please visit the project website www.youngstarsfoundation.org/group100

Workplan for Roundtable
4th Week January, 2007:
* Identify 10 Lead Conveners

1st ? 4th Week February, 2007:
* Open Invitation to Group100 via online networks and others (build Group100 website)
* Identify and make contacts with relevant agencies and bodies to collaborate in ensuring that Roundtable Holds.
* Identify and initiate contact with media organizations to ensure adequate pre publicity of the event and Live Coverage of the Roundtable.
* Secure roundtable venue reservation
* General consultations and meeting with Lead Conveners and other partners.

1st - 3rd Week March:
* Production of Roundtable handbills and circulation across 36 states of the federation
* Intensify membership drive for Group100 and intensify fundraising for event
* Send special invitation to political parties and presidential candidates
* Screen and send out invitation to youths interested to participate in the Roundtable
* Intensify media activities, ie, featuring on television talkshows on NTA Network, AIT, Silverbird, Channels, MBI, LTV, etc
* Pay courtesy visits to heads of relevant organizations and specifically those collaborating towards the conduct of the Roundtable
* Confirm participation of Presidential Aspirants and final follow ? up.

4th Week March:
* Examine activities’ checklist
* Host Roundtable
* Publish and circulate roundtable outcomes across the country

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