Social Change Rockstar: Crystal Yan

March 17, 2010
Posted by ajlovesya

Next up in my “Social Change Rockstar” series is 17 year old Crystal Yan. I was looking for young social entrepreneurs on twitter and happily came across her work.

Crystal describes herself as a Trilingual Chinese-American. She’s a blogger, graphic designer, and Founder of Torque, Social Startup Summit, What’s Next, and EconForAll, a curriculum program that makes economics accessible to kids in grades K-12. She is working on a ton of wonderful projects aimed at getting more young people involved in social change, including the book “What’s Next: 25 Big Ideas from Gen-Yers Under 25” inspired by Seth Godin’s What Matters Now. This interview really shed light on her work and drive. Enjoy!

Tell us about major projects you are working on and your inspiration?

Right now the major project I’m working on is What’s Next: 25 Big Ideas from Gen-Yers Under 25. It’s basically like TED talks in a book, but everyone writing for it is 25 and under. We’re curating a free ebook and a special print edition to benefit the favorite charities of our 25 contributors. If you’re a young innovator, you should write for us! If you’re a little more grown-up, you should suggest someone to us or back us on Kickstarter (so we can make the print edition happen)! We were inspired by Seth Godin’s What Matters Now.

I’m also trying to find sponsors to start the inaugural Social Startup Summit, a one-day social venture incubator (youth come in with vague ideas, and leave with a newly-founded service project and the action plan and resources to start it), recruiting high school students for a Gumball Capital microfinance youth leadership program, and working to mobilize 6000 students to raise $100,000 and eradicate polio worldwide by June 2010. I also do a bit of graphic design and consulting.

If you want to get involved in any of those, email me here: http://www.crystalcyan.com/contact-me.html

What challenges do you face as a young social entrepreneur?

In terms of legal issues, if I’m under 18 and I have to have a parent sign five million forms to go on a field trip for school, the same issue comes when I go to conferences and I have to wear the “don’t take a picture of me” sticker because they didn’t know there would be any under 18 attendees so they never sent out a photo release form. It’s a bummer, because things like that mean less free publicity for your causes, you know?

So from that I’ve learned to just make my own photo releases for those organizations so I can get that PR opportunity and hey, I learned a bit about law beyond watching Law and Order in the process.

What resources have been helpful to your success?

Finding mentors is vital to success. People are your greatest resources. They can offer you introductions, feedback, and camaraderie when you feel like your friends at school don’t “get” you. They can help you redefine success. When you feel like you totally messed up, they turn it around and show how a shortcoming can be a lesson learned.
How do you balance being a high school student and the many projects you are working on?

Interesting, I seem to get this question a lot. Funny story: last year, at least five of my friends signed my yearbook with: “My goodness, you must have snatched a Timeturner from Hermione or something.” I wish!

It’s tough, especially when you’re crazy enough to take 4 AP classes. I think it comes down to identifying what’s important to you. I love challenges in academics, so signing up for advanced classes made sense for me since I really like school. But I also love student organizations, working on creating leadership opportunities for other students, particularly in service and entrepreneurship education. And then I also love creating my own projects and going out to be a part of tech events in the Silicon Valley startup community, turning crazy scribbles on scraps of paper from 2am into scalable ideas is so exciting.

My little secret? These things often overlap. I worked with a teacher one year to create service-learning initiatives to blend academic work with service organizations, I bring in my connections from events I’ve gone to representing my projects back to school to speak at my student org. It’s this type of interdisciplinary approach to designing my lifestyle that helps me get stuff done and makes me proud to say the only time I pulled an all-nighter in my life thus far was in the 2nd grade (which was because I couldn’t sleep since I was scared about moving to a new school, not because I was overworked). No lie.

What advice do you have for other teens who want to be social entrepreneurs?

Beyond finding mentors, try to also mentor younger students. Find about five or so people you consider your cheerleaders: your parents, your teachers, your counselors. Then think about what they’ve done for you, how much you appreciate them. Let them know. Thank them. And then turn around and find five more people you want to share your insight with: your younger siblings, your friends a couple grades below you. By empowering other young social entrepreneurs, you can pay it forward and make sure your legacy of awesomeness continues.

You can find her: linkedin.com/in/crystaly or @crystalcy.

You can find a longer bio here: http://crystaly.wordpress.com/bio/

Encouraging People to Serve in the Public Sector: Meet Nicole Trinh

July 30, 2009
Posted by ajlovesya

Continuing with my interviews with some of the leaders I met at the 80 Million Strong for Young American Jobs Summit, I am happy to feature Nicole Trinh, education and outreach inter at the U.S. Public Service Academy, a growing nonprofit that will “The U.S. Public Service Academy will be the civilian counterpart to the military service academies.” I asked her to share information about her work and what she learned from the summit. Enjoy!

Tell us about yourself

My name is Nicole Trinh and I am a graduate student at the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas (UT). I also received my Bachelor’s degree from UT and it was there that I developed my passion for higher education and public service issues.

Tell us about your organization and your role in it

I serve as the Education & Outreach intern for the U.S. Public Service Academy. We’re a non-profit organization with the sole mission to get Congress to build a national service Academy. This Academy would serve as the civilian counterpart to the military academies—think of a civilian West Point. I’ve spent the summer reaching out to various foundations and organizations, but more importantly garnering support from notable leaders within the military and higher education.

Why did you participate in the 80 Million Strong Summit?

I thought the 80MS Summit would be a great avenue to meet some of the most accomplished and passionate individuals all across the country (and it was!). More specifically, it was a chance for me to be a part of a single coalition that would address the youth unemployment crisis in our nation while contributing to that effort on behalf of the Academy.

How do you believe you are bringing about social change?

I think, like many others, I am bringing about social change in an individual and collective capacity each day. The conversations—both formal and informal I have with people are small steps to spreading awareness of the many changes needed for our country. But more concretely, it’s the collective effort of organizations who are fighting for change on Capitol Hill that are most impactful. By influencing policy legislatively—climate to health care to education, that’s where the larger side of social change must happen.

Did you learn anything from the Summit that has helped you in your work?

I came into the Summit thinking that we were going to tackle the youth unemployment crisis and we did. However, I walked out realizing that we only touched the surface of it. It was both disheartening and motivating to learn just how many issues there were left to tackle and just how much change was needed for the future. I simply was inspired to continue pushing for a U.S. Public Service Academy!

If people want to help you or learn more about what you do, how can they help and get in touch?

There are so many ways to be a part of the Academy effort! I recommend people go to our website www.uspublicserviceacademy.org to learn more about what we’re doing. And of course, I’d be happy to speak to anyone about the initiative as well: trinh@uspublicserviceacademy.org or 202-712-9121.

What are some solutions to the youth unemployment crisis and how does your organization if at all, address this issue?

I honestly believe the youth unemployment crisis begins with our country’s investment in higher education. We need to ensure that our young people are better equipped with the hard and soft skills that are required of the 21^st century workforce. More importantly, access is key to it all. We need to establish programs that allow young people to not only receive a quality education but also have opportunities that grant them work experience. The U.S. Public Service Academy would do both—give young people a chance to receive a free education while also serving their country as a civilian servant in the public sector.

What resources have been helpful in furthering the mission of your organization?

As displayed on our endorsements list, the support from various organizations, college leaders, military officers, and local/state officials have helped get our effort through Congress. It’s also been the persistence and passion of our volunteers all across the country that have truly made this a grassroots effort. We can always use more help though!

How do you balance going to school while working with this organization?

I committed myself full-time to the organization this summer but I hope to continue working for its cause as I finish up my graduate degree. It will definitely require a lot of time management and work efficiency but when you’re that passionate about something, anything is possible.

What advice would you give to a young person wanting to address youth unemployment?

I believe it’s very important to educate yourself on any issue before diving in. So my advice is to go out and not only research the factors of youth unemployment but also educate yourself on what organizations are doing about it. From there, find a couple solutions that you feel really strongly about, join the effort, and start moving!

Supporting Youth Entrepreneurship in Michigan: Meet Kelly Steffan

July 29, 2009
Posted by ajlovesya

At the 80 Million Strong for Young American Jobs Summit I had the privilege of meeting Kelly Steffen, entrepreneur and student at Michigan State. Through the organization she helped create–Spotlight Michigan–she is tackling the state’s brain drain (when college grads leave the state) while encouraging more young people to be entrepreneurs. Please read and share!

Tell us about yourself!

I am a rising senior at Michigan State University and majoring in International Relations and Economics. I’m interning in Dc this summer at the US forest Service- International Programs. However, the more you could focus on the company than on me would be great. I work hard for the organization but it takes the brain power and hard work of a few other individuals as well.

Tell us about your organization.

The company is called Spotlight Michigan and was started in a class at Michigan State called “Michigan Futures Seminar” run by two professors and through the Michigan Center for Innovation and Economic Prosperity (MCIEP). The class was given the question, “How do you develop an entrepreneurial culture in Michigan” From there we set forth with various studies, including a comparative study to various cities we traveled to across the United States. Spotlight Michigan was thus born on a long road trip from Charleston to Raleigh.

The company is now run by 4 (myself included) Michigan State students that continue to profile various innovative students and businesses in Michigan. We hope to highlight these people and organization that “have it right” and to show that good things are still happening in Michigan and the state still has a potential to be great and thrive economically. We also work to host events to connect the vast entreprenuerial resources in the state to young adults. Something the company has really noticed is that Michigan does have a lot of great resources for entreprenuers, however, first, young adults have little access or knowledge to these and secondly, a lot of the resources in the state overlap on services and could be much more efficient if they all worked together. Instead they almost compete and thus don’t provide the best overall service to the state.

In the next few months we hope to develop more of a service type branch where we act as a consulting service for young students who want to open their own commpany. We also hope to create an “entreprenuerial match-making service’ where we can connect young adults with developed businesses either for jobs or as a mentor service. We also hope to act as a student liason on some of the board of directors for a lot of the economic developers in the area to make sure they keep student’s interest in mind.

Overall Spotlight Michigan believes that entrepreneurship, especially young adult entrepreneurship is the only way to turn the dismal state of the economy around. We’ve seen the failure of the big auto industry and know that Michigan must diversify its economy to small businesses and cannot rely on any one big industry anymore. Also, Michigan has a GREAT university system and thus high knowledge students are its best asset. So striving for a growing entrepreneurial young adult population seems the obvious best step.

What was the inspiration behind starting it?

The inspiration for the company came from 12 students sitting around and looking at the statistics like 54% of Michigan university graduates leave the state and its 15.4% unemployment and the fact that a family leaves Michigan every 8 minutes. The group of us realized that we cannot just let this go on anymore and need to step up and take action and put all of our research and knowledge into legitimate action. We just couldn’t watch these things get worse and worse and realized we HAD to do something.

What were the challenges in starting your own social change organization and how did you deal with them? What have been your biggest successes?

The biggest challenge originally was learning how to work with the 12 students that founded it. We all had competing ideas and everyone was a leader in their own right. We figured this out by really making an effort to sit out and listen to everyone’s ideas. Certainly fights arose but I like to think that overall we worked pretty well collaboratively. However, now the real challenge is how to tackle such a vast problem in the state in a cohesive manner. Like I said earlier there are A LOT of entreprenuerial resources in the state and Spotlight Michigan is really trying to get everyone to talk together. It’s hard to organize that. Hopefully,

We have had a lot of successes however. I am constantly blown away by the opportunities we get. We were asked to speak at the Michigan legislature to the higher education appropriations committee to show the real benefits of increasing funding for higher education at a time when the budget is completely shot. We also presented at the National Summit for Research this year. I wasn’t there, but my colleagues were and it was a huge honor for us to be asked to present.

What resources have been helpful in creating and maintaining this organization?

We’ve gotten A LOT of community support. People have never hesitate to meet with us, to tell us about new opportunities, etc. The president of Michigan State, Louanna Simon, has been really supportive and opened a lot of opportunities for us. Our two original professors have also been great mentors.

Why did you attend the 80 Million Strong Summit? What did you learn?

I attended the 80 million strong conference because the overall message of it is great. In these scary economic times, young adults are overlooked SO MUCH. All this legislation is geared towards big companies, experienced workers, etc. None of it is directed at the future of this nation! It can be so frustrating sometimes when you hear this great group like at 80 million strong just shouting for a chance to be heard and seen so they can make a difference and the majority of this nation’s leaders continues to overlook them still. Young adults are dying to make a difference in this world but their efforts are so frequently frustrated. It’s ridiculous. I learned that we have to continue pushing to be heard but learned that there are people, like yourself, as passionate about me at changing this.

What are some solutions to the youth unemployment crisis and how does your organization if at all, address this issue?

I addressed this a lot in number 2 but entreprenuership, like we’re promoting, opens new opportunities and jobs for not only themselves, but their peers. It also adds unique value to society and a new way to get things done. To me, it’s key to changing the scary statistics.

How do you balance going to school while running an organization?

I haven’t quite had to face this problem yet. Because it started as a class for credit last semester and then developed more over the summer, I haven’t yet faced the difficulties of balancing running a company and keeping up with school work. However, I am worried about it next year, mainly because I’m so passionate about this it is much easier to work on Spotlight Michigan things than it is to study for calculus. It’ll definately be a balancing act… I’ll let you know if it turns out okay.

What advice would you give to a young person wanting to start an organization?

GO FOR IT!!!!! If you have a good idea, talk it out with a few friends and don’t be afraid to ADAPT your idea. After that, just start googling resources that you think might help you. Trust me, they are probably out there. While young is the time to start an organization and take a chance! You have way much less to lose now than when you’re 35 and have a mortgage and a family.

How can people get involved? How can people contact you?

If anyone wants to get involved with Spotlight Michigan or to work for similar goals in the state, please please please contact me at steffenk@spotlightmichigan.com so we can discuss how to work together. Also, check out t www.spotlightmichigan.com and submit your own ideas and comments on the articles. Also, if anyone has their own idea and wish to write an op-ed, let me know! We’re really trying to get more guest authors!

Social Change Rockstar: Meet Colleen Hinds

May 26, 2009
Posted by ajlovesya

Colleen Hinds, Photo from Echoing Green

A few weeks ago I had the privilege of meeting some of the finalists for the echoing green fellowship. Colleen Hinds’ idea—the creation of boarding schools, the Jamaica Leadership Academy, to combat brain drain in Jamaica and foster interest in social change—really stood out to me so I asked her if she would let me interview her. Once again, her thoughtfulness and insight continue to inspire me and I hope you all enjoy it as well! She is also looking for enthusiastic people to help her move forward so please contact her if you would like to get involved.

What was the inspiration behind this idea?

The inspiration behind The Jamaica Leadership Academy has come from several sources. I would say the biggest contributors have been growing up hearing about the large disparity in educational experience and opportunity my parents experienced in Jamaica, with one going to a top boarding school and later to Law School in the states and the other, based on economics and access, not being able to complete secondary school. This problem became of more interest to me as I saw this mirrored in my own experience.

When my family moved to the suburbs of South Jersey, I left the private Catholic School experience behind in Paterson NJ to attend an equally high quality public school in the suburbs. I thought to myself “why wasn’t this good public/free education afforded to every child regardless of where they lived?”

As I completed my M.A. abroad in 2006, I spent ½ of the year in Jamaica and the other ½ in London. There, I chose to look at the feasibility of community boarding schools as a way to create an intentional community that nurtures intellectual potential and social development. In Jamaica I spent time at schools that ran the gamut of the elite government schools, the skill training school, and the All-Age schools that stop formal education at grade 9. It was in this space that I decided to effect change for the disempowered many falling through the chasm between the “best” schools and the “worst”. The mission of The Jamaica Leadership Academy is not only to provide a college-preparatory opportunity and safety, but also to create a pipeline of capable and experienced graduates passionate about invigorating the many in need areas of Jamaican society for decades to come.

How has your idea been received in Jamaica?

I have been so overwhelmed with the positive support I have gotten thus far in Jamaica. Mr. Jasper Lawrence, the CEO for the Ministry of Education supported the project by organizing a presentation to a large group of stakeholders back in December. Most recently I met with the Core Curriculum Unit to see how JLA can integrate relevant issues of social justice and raise the bar on rigor and alignment in our curriculum. A large issue is “brain drain” which we plan to counter with knowledge and experience that instills a sense of local loyalty in our alumni.

Many of my former professors at UTech and UWI have been extremely helpful as program advisors. Many others have given moral support and extended their own relationships and networks to support in anyway they can. I look forward to building new relationships of support through the larger Jamaican diaspora here in the US who will play a large role in sustainable development especially since 20% of student enrolment will be open to the larger diaspora.

What have been some of the challenges in starting your project?

Really the largest challenge thus far has been accessing additional Human Capital. As a full time administrator at a charter school in New Jersey, people have been surprised at how much energy I have been able to put into The Jamaica Leadership Academy. Despite the time restraints, I have made it a priority to take 5 trips to Jamaica in the past 12 months to continue the process of planning and implementation. I would love to find someone equally passionate (and disturbed) by the disparity that continues to persist in Jamaica’s educational system, to come on board.

Another challenge has been finding sustainable funding prospects. One of the major challenges of bringing access to quality education for all of Jamaica’s children is grounded in funding. For a nation that spends nearly 60% of its income on debt repayment, there is very little left for capital investment in social services that include education. Currently, there is a deficit of secondary school spaces that come close to 3,000.

Although our model takes this into consideration by covering nearly 25% of all expenses through sustainable development projects such as renewable wind energy and a community barter system called STEP, we need several committed capital investors to build a campus that provides safety, develops intellect in science and technology labs and nurtures social development so that these children can go on to compete for spots in top universities around the world and ultimately return to effect large scale change for the social and economic dilemmas plaguing the country.

Lastly, because there has not been a radical transformation of education in Jamaica in decades, the idea of Charter Schools, that combine autonomous partnerships and firm accountability, is largely foreign. Shifting the mindset of those government entities, teachers, parents and communities alike who label children as “worthless” will be a long and tedious process. JLA will show the world that “average” and underperforming children, who have a fierce ambition, can become extra-ordinary people with hard work, opportunity and lots of affirmation.

What resources have been helpful?

So far, ordinary, bright and interested people have been the most helpful. From friends who have taken time out of their schedule to travel to Jamaica with me and sign up as my applicant coaches, to parents who continue to champion me every step of the way.

Professionally, going through the rigorous applicant process for the Echoing Green Fellowship has been extremely helpful in clarifying the nuances of the model that had not previously been developed. It forced me to think critically and plan strategically. Teach for America’s Social Entrepreneur Initiative has been helpful in seeing me through the last phase of the Echoing Green application process.

What advice do you have for those who want to start their own school?

I don’t know if I’m the best person to give this advice (yet) but I would use the old saying “measure twice, cut once”. It is really, really important to get on the ground and do the research. Find out if what you WANT to do, will meet the need of those who you are trying to serve! Humble yourself and seek resources. Use every obstacle as a learning lesson. Lastly, I would say listen closely to the nay-sayers and use their criticism as mortar, to fill the gaps in your idea. If is something you are truly passionate about, keep pushing forward and don’t be afraid to ask for help.

What kind of support do you need now?

At this moment, The Jamaica Leadership Academy needs committed seed money to start a pilot day school model in 2010. The good thing about new social initiatives is that it is fertile ground to gain valuable experience. We need someone with non-profit development experience or one looking to gain that experience who can spearhead long-term sustainable development. We also need someone to manage the communications and social networking that will be critical to investing the larger diaspora in the UK, Cananda and here in the U.S.

You don’t have to be Jamaican to help! For the many that see Jamaica as a paradise location for summer vacation, those who have connected with the warm local families, and those who have a cultural conscience that longs for home, we need you!

Can people contact you if they want to help out/get involved?

Of course! People who have an interest, a passion, or expertise that may help support the mission of JLA can definitely contact me directly through the website www.jaleadershipacademy.com or by email at founder@jaleadershipacademy.com. I am in the process of organizing at will voluntary tasks that anyone interested can do after a brief orientation to the mission and vision.

Social Change Rockstar: Meet Daniel Kent

March 23, 2009
Posted by ajlovesya

I’ve decided to start a new series highlighting young people making waves in the nonprofit sector. To kick off the series I contacted Daniel Kent, Executive Director and Founder of Net Literacy, a nonprofit that promotes computer access and literacy across the country. He started the organization in high school with some money he saved to buy a car. A few years later the organization boosts hundred of volunteers, thousands of people affected by their work, and an impressive roster of senators and corporations who support them.

Tell us about you:

Sure! I’m a first semester sophomore at Haverford College majoring at Bryn Mawr in the Growth and Structure of Cities. I currently live in Carmel, Indiana, a suburb of Indianapolis with my parents, Donald and Susan, and my dog, Cookie. I enjoy volunteering, reading, working on computers, and being engaged in student government on campus at Haverford. I recently finished an internship at the White House under President’ Bush’s administration, working primarily in the USA Freedom Corps office; that was an extraordinary experience. I also enjoy working with Net Literacy.

Tell us about your organization:

Net Literacy is a youth-managed and youth-run 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization based in Indiana. The mission of Net Literacy is to promote computer access and teach anyone – from elementary school students to senior citizens – how to use computers. We have over 500 volunteers working to bridge the “Digital Divide” all across our country, having provided computer access to nearly 100,000 individuals already. Net Literacy has partnered with a number of non-profits and large companies to help us achieve our mission. Companies such as Intel, Microsoft, Verizon, Brighthouse Networks, and Comcast have provided us the funds and donations-in-kind that have allowed us to be a success. Net Literacy is also grateful to Asset Forwarding and the Indiana Recycling Coalition for helping us increase the awareness in our communities of the importance of environmentally-responsible computer recycling/refurbishing and disposal.

We have worked closely with Indiana’s Department of Education to create a curriculum that stresses computer and Internet safety and awareness for students in all grades. We recently have filmed over a dozen PSAs regarding safety on the Internet that have been aired all across Indiana and are in the process of filming more highlighting how to safely make purchases online. We are proud to have a Board of Directors that is comprised of 1/2 student volunteers and 1/2 adults, providing our youth Board Members the opportunity to learn about running a non-profit and core-competencies that many of our Board of Directors bring – ranging from Legal expertise to Computers to Education. We are also very proud to have Senator Lugar and Senator Bayh serve as our honorary co-chairs and provide us their insight into how best we can shape digital policy. Net Literacy has successfully lobbied the Indiana General Assembly to promote the issue of digital inclusion and Internet safety.

What was the inspiration behind starting Net Literacy?

The inspiration for Net Literacy started at our public library where teens can volunteer in a number of programs ranging from reading books to elementary school students to shelving books and planning events. I was always very interested in a program where teens served as instructional aids in an adult computer class put on by the reference department that taught everything from computer basics all they way up to e-mail and beyond. I really enjoyed volunteering in these classes and had the pleasure to help out hundreds of adults and senior citizens. After one class, a senior citizen approached me and we chatted about how he really enjoyed learning about computers and had been talking with his friend at his retirement home about them. His friend really wanted to learn how to use computers but was mobility-impaired and lacked adequate, reliable transportation to our library. As a student, I felt that no one, regardless of age, should be denied the opportunity to learn. I wanted to help this senior citizen’s friend.

So a number of my friends and I started to look around for an organization where we could volunteer to help individuals who were mobility-impaired and couldn’t make it to the Library to learn how to use a computer. Unfortunately we could not find any; instead, we decided to form our own organization – Senior Connects.

We initially started teaching computer and Internet skills in retirement homes in my 8th grade year. Soon we realized that many retirement homes and long-term care facilities lacked adequate computer access. Since access is critical, we began to refurbish and repurpose computers that we collected from local businesses and by conducting local computer drives. Everything began to grow and by 2003, we began to expand the population we served to include everyone who lacked adequate access to computers and teaching how to use them in a safe manner.

What were the challenges in starting your own nonprofit and how did you deal with them?

It was really difficult finding initial funding and legal expertise to establish our non-profit. With the several thousand dollars that I saved for my car, I was able to fund the cost of incorporation, and with the help of several gracious attorneys who took some of us on as interns, we were able to file for our 501(c)3 status ourselves and learn from this process.

What resources have been helpful in creating and maintaining this organization?

Above everything, teamwork is the resource that has run Net Literacy from its inception. The motivation and power of the student volunteers has really kept Net Literacy running. While our focus is on providing computers to those in need, we also provide an opportunity for all students to learn important technical, leadership, and life skills and a safe place where students can have fun. Most of the public high schools in Indianapolis have a Net Literacy Club where students can volunteer after school (some even skip their lunch to volunteer!) and learn. All of this is powered through teamwork.

How do you balance going to school while running a non-profit?

Teamwork strikes again! I always wanted Net Literacy to be run by students, for students and the community. We have had a number of generations of youth-chairs who have kept Net Literacy growing beyond what any of us thought we could accomplish from the start. While I’m away at college, we have hundreds of high-school students who manage the organization and help out refurbishing and teaching. All of this, done through teamwork.

What advice would you give to a young person wanting to start a nonprofit?

To all young people wanting to start a nonprofit, I say, reach for the stars! With hard work, teamwork, and a vision, anything can be achieved, anything can be accomplished.

You can find Net Literacy on Facebook and LinkedIn. And feel free to email danielkent [at] netliteracy [dot] org and check out their website.