I’m sitting right outside the British Airways Lounge at Heathrow Airport, tapping into their private WiFi.  Around me, thousands of people are rushing around at a frantic pace, about to head off to a multitude of international locations.  It has been a while since I’ve been in a true major international airport. Sorry YVR and YYZ, you simply don’t cut it in size.  So what am I doing here?  Well, just 12 hours ago, I was back at home in Vancouver, having dinner with my parents.  12 hours from now, I will be arriving in Lusaka, the capital of Zambia, a landlocked country in Southern Africa.   Why am I going there?  Let me explain…

In high school, I was fortunate enough to be part of a top district enrichment program at Point Grey Mini.  Thanks to the hard work of the School Secretary, Gill Collins, nearly all of the students in the small school were encouraged to take part in the International Award for Young People program.  For those of you unfamiliar with the program, the award began in 1956 in the UK, where it is better known as the The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award.  Over the last 50 years it has spread across the globe with more than 6 million young people experiencing life-changing opportunities through the program.

The award contains four Sections: Service, Adventurous Journey, Skills, and Physical Recreation. There are three levels of the award, Bronze, Silver, and Gold, with each level demanding between 6 months to 2 years of commitment to complete.

Like many other students at my school, the blue Duke of Edinburgh’s book was thrust into my hands when I started grade 8.  During my time in high school, I completed all three levels of the program, which cumulated with me receiving the Gold Award from HRH The Earl of Wessex in 2006.  The program benefited me in many ways, primarily acting as a catalyst for my interest in volunteerism, and ultimately, a source of my passion for entrepreneurship.

Last year, I was fortunate enough to meet Benjamin Lee, a student at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver.  I spotted him at an event with the Duke of Edinburgh pin on the lapel on his blazer, and an instant friendship was born!  Ben is a Gold Award recipient, an Award Team Leader, and has had major involvement with the program for a number of years.   Later that summer, Ben connected with me a very special opportunity:

Petter Cruddas, a very successful entrepreneur and philanthropist based in London, had given significant support behind the International Award, and a new program had been developed: the Peter Cruddas Social Innovation Initiative.  Essentially, the PCSII is an international search of stellar examples of Social Innovation demonstrated by Gold Award recipients.  Ben applied to be one of four international interns to discover, research, and profile these stories.  Ben’s application featured a “mock profile” of my social innovation story, and Ben was selected to be the PSCII intern responsible for the Americas!

Fast-forwarding to 2010, I was fortunate enough to be one of the individuals that Ben nominated for the program, profiled for my work with Youth Canada and Impact Microcredit.  I was excited – there was a good chance that I might get to travel to London to take part in that program!

However, before that could happen, in March, another opportunity arose as part of the International Award Association.  The Commonwealth Youth Programme – Africa Centre was to be putting on an International Trainers of Trainers Workshop on “International Perspectives in Youth Entrepreneurship Training”.  The workshop was to take place from April 12-17, 2010 in Siavonga, Zambia.

The International Award Association contacted me to ask if I would like to apply to take part in this opportunity.  There was a clear connection between the program and the work that I was doing with Impact in Canada.  Within 48 hours, I had submitted my application, sent a scan of my passport, and was accepted to the program!

So that’s the first part of my story!  Thanks to a terrific opportunity in high school to take part in the Award program, a chance encounter with Ben at a Gala, and several other very lucky breaks, I am about to head off to Zambia!

I’m not sure what to expect when I get there.  This will be my first time traveling to Africa.  I know that I will be surrounded by leaders in entrepreneurship and youth from a multitude of African countries: Botswana, Cameroon, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Seychelles, Swaziland, Tanzania, The Gambia, Uganda, Zimbabwe, and of course, Zambia.  I know that this experience will give me a new perspective on entrepreneurship and the world in general.  I can’t wait to see what the next eight days will hold!  I am very excited! I promise to keep you all updated daily.

Thank you to everyone who has made this experience possible including everyone with the Award program (Becky and Joanne), with the PCSII (Ben and Anna), with CYP (Victor and Annie), and of course, my parents.  I’m sure that there will be a lot more people that I will be meeting over the next few months in both Zambia and London that I will also need to thank!  I can’t wait to take full advantage of this opportunity!  Thank you to you for reading this.