Baltimore, Maryland, USA -- An organization in the Philippines that provides microfinance loans to unemployed youth to start their own businesses and a program in Pakistan that combats violence against women and girls by changing the behaviors of men are two of 25 programs in 17 countries recently recognized for the young social entrepreneur leading their cause. All programs have been selected by Starbucks and the International Youth Foundation (IYF) to receive grants through the Starbucks Social Entrepreneurs Fund, a key component of the Starbucks™ Shared Planet™ commitment to communities.

 

The grantees were chosen through a competition that was established in early 2008 by IYF and the Starbucks Foundation in order to makes grants available to young leaders who have completed IYF’s YouthActionNet® Global Fellowship. The Fellowship is a program that aims to develop a new generation of socially conscious global citizens who create positive change in their communities, their countries and the world.

 

“Today’s young social entrepreneurs work tirelessly in support of their social change visions, yet struggle to access the financial resources to take their important work to scale,” said IYF President and CEO William S. Reese. “Starbucks recognizes the invaluable contributions of these young leaders and has provided much-needed support to expand the impact of their efforts.”