Harvard mentors and Learn with Leaders ignite entrepreneurship in teenagers across 25+ countries

Brainstorming ideas to design business plans with students from around the globe and mentors from Harvard can be every high school student's dream come true. The Young Leaders in Innovation and Entrepreneurship program gives students the unique opportunity to share their budding ideas on a global platform and receive guidance from tutors from Harvard.

The collaboration between Harvard Student Agencies (HSA) and Learn with Leaders for The Young Leaders in Innovation and Entrepreneurship program has created a worldwide network of young entrepreneurs. The program has brought together high school students from around 30 countries, including the USA, India, the UAE, Brazil, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, New Zealand, Spain, Colombia, and Canada, to learn about entrepreneurship and innovation.

The entrepreneurship program, spread over two weekends and conducted on the Zoom platform, gives students exclusive opportunities to work together in teams and share diverse ideas. Mentors from Harvard guide the students to creatively generate problem-solving solutions for successful business strategies.

The new batch, starting on 30 January 2021, received an overwhelming response from high school students from India and abroad. With an acceptance rate of only 20 percent, the program provides a classroom-like learning experience through video conferencing at a fraction of the cost of travelling to Harvard to undertake the program. Students, selected through an interview process, work closely with Harvard instructors to bring to life their entrepreneurial ideas.

"We strive to educate young minds and inspire them to become great leaders of tomorrow. With this program, we are building and nurturing the next generation of entrepreneurs while connecting them with like-minded students worldwide. It is exciting to watch a diverse group communicate flawlessly and create futuristic business plans," says Jasmine Chan, Managing Director, Harvard Student Agencies.

"There is need for education that goes beyond the four walls of a classroom, and we have managed to strike that chord with The Young Leaders in Innovation and Entrepreneurship program. Learn with Leaders is additionally seed funding the mentored projects to help students with their startups. We hope to continue to grow and make a difference in the lives of these bright minds," says Gunjan Agarwal, Co-founder, Learn with Leaders.

'The Young Leaders in Innovation and Entrepreneurship program is a creative workshop. The mentors helped us understand new concepts and then apply that knowledge to our ventures. The workshop provided me with the skills to help bring my entrepreneurial ideas to life and positively change society. We connected with students from other countries to collaborate, conduct research, and build business strategies,' shares Arushi Bansal, student of Pathways World School, who participated in the program.

Learn with Leaders and Harvard Student Agencies have collaborated on other programs for high school students, including the Scholars in Communication program and the Future Lawyers Program. The Scholars in Communication program focuses on building interaction skills among students so that they are able to convey their thoughts with clarity. The program trains students to move their audience with words and gets them ready for a TEDx Talk. The Future Lawyers Program helps students who want to pursue law to develop in-depth knowledge of legal systems and connects them with students from Harvard Law School.

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( With inputs from ANI )