Have you ever wondered what it would be like if you could have a voice of change?\u00a0What if it meant having a voice of change along with 400 others that carried the same message as you?\u00a0What if that message meant a profound shift in the policies as they impact you as a youth?<\/p>\n
The 2013 edition of the G20 Young Entrepreneurs\u2019 Alliance really reinforced all of the above and it really was an incredible experience to be a part of.\u00a0I have to admit, travelling to Russia was something of an adventure for me as I really wasn\u2019t sure what to expect from the country.\u00a0I can tell you this: Moscow is awesome.\u00a0Every negative preconceived notion that you may have heard about Russia really isn\u2019t true, at least not from what we saw while we were there.\u00a0Many of my fellow delegates spent more time than I touring around the city including taking the subway, which I hear, was magnificent.\u00a0Regardless, my point here is that if you were ever curious about Russia, I whole-heartedly encourage you to visit.\u00a0I\u2019m sure many of us that participated could set you up with some of our new friends to show you around too.<\/p>\n
I was part of the G8 group that participated in the initial G8 YES event in Stresa, Italy back in 2009, and without a doubt it has come a really long way.\u00a0Between the breakout sessions, to the number of countries (twelve more!), and the number of networking opportunities, it was really great.\u00a0A lot of the theme focused on not only creating a more impactful message about youth entrepreneurship in general but also doing business in Russia.\u00a0As you can imagine, entrepreneurship really is in its infancy in the country but are they ever taking some incredible steps to make sure the world is noticing them.\u00a0Skolkovo is the new innovation centre being developed in the country and it is quite a site to visit and quite a vision to look forward to.\u00a0There is a lot of international support being concentrated in this centre and there really are some interesting concepts about bringing our businesses to the country.<\/p>\n
The entire event was an incredible opportunity and experience for me personally and I\u2019m sure for every one that attended.\u00a0As Canadians I think it\u2019s important that we take a leadership position in the growth of youth entrepreneurship in our country but also help guide and set an example for countries around the world.\u00a0Now that we are back, it\u2019s time for us to take the next steps to really make an impact in our homeland.<\/p>\n