1st Visionaries meeting in June, 2013 at KCA University.

Global Peace Foundation announced the latest project of it’s Character and Creativity Initiative (CCI), a program called Leap Hubs, “Entrepreneurship & Leadership Incubators in Schools”.

Leap Hubs is a mentoring program build upon the core belief that “high school and university students are capable of learning successful leadership and entrepreneurship skills at a young age for economic independence, self-reliance and social impact for themselves and the larger community.”

The program provides “Hubs” where supportive and positive role models encourage innovative. The involvement of universities, businesses and community organizations open resources and avenues for entrepreneurial advancement.

It is supported through a partnership between GPF Kenya, Africa Nazarene University and CCI schools such as Moi Forces Academy, Buru-Buru Girls’ Secondary School and Alliance High School.

Leap Hubs, features students like 17 year old Brian Kirotich and 18 year old Martin Siele of Alliance High School in Kiambu County, Kenya. The two students invested their own time and capital to create a learning module called eMasomo. Their hope is that is can be used as a learning aid, particularly with students who are struggling with their academics.  And Stephen Njoroga, who has been dubbed, “Mattai’s successor.” Stephen and his We Care Club has planted over 10,000 trees to better the environment.

The CCI program is operating in Kenya, Uganda, and Paraguay with tangible results. Not only has it boosted academic moral,  it has been effectively transforming the school culture, as examples like the 1% club that encourages students of Moi Forces Academy to donate 1% of their time, money and talent to their school and community. It is a cooperative efforts between teachers, students, administrators, parents and the community to cultivate essential values for success in life.

Executive Director, LeadIn; VP, Global Peace Foundation, Tony Devine, likes to point out, “A person’s character quotient plus creativity quotient exceeds their intelligent quotient.” CCI is ensuring that the next generation of business, academic, political and media leaders are equipped with all three competencies.

The original article appears on www.globalpeace.org

The post Leap Hubs to Provide Mentors to Cultivate Leadership and Entrepreneurship appeared first on Hyun Jin Preston Moon.

“Every culture has examples of extraordinary men and women who propelled humanity forward in the fields of philosophy, ethics, the sciences, athletics and the cultural arts. They have challenged existing paradigms by exercising their God-given talents.” Dr. Hyun Jin Moon

Steve Jobs delivered the commencement address at Stanford University in 2005.

During a recent interview, a reporter mentioned Steve Jobs as a role of young Korean entrepreneurs. In response, Dr. Moon listed  essentials values of successful innovators.

First is living for the greater good.  The great innovators of our time were not motivated by money, fame or prestige.  They were driven by the simple desire to make a difference in the world. We all want to make a contribution to humanity. Our dreams are part of how we will make an impact.

In 2005, Steve Jobs gave an unforgettable speech at Stanford University’s commencement. He told the graduates “Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle.”

Steve Jobs wanted to improve the world, he did it through technology.

Second is to own that dream. Even a grand dream remains a pipe dream without ownership. When pursing a dream challenges are guaranteed, setbacks are an absolute.  The results are hidden around the corner from the turbulence.

At one point in his career, Steve Jobs was fired from Apple, the company that he had co-founded. Without success and position, he told the graduates, “something slowly began to dawn on me – I still loved what I did.” So, he started over. He said it was “one of the most creative periods of my life.”

There are people who set out to make a difference but back off once success comes to live happily ever after. They are not remembered. Those who are remembered are the ones who stick to their dream through success and failure.  A successful innovator owns their dream.

Third is teamwork. A successful innovator can create a team around their dream. Success is never the result of one person. Success comes with the help of many people along the way. Leaders can draw people and organizations to a common objective, and bring out the best from them.

When Steve Jobs passed away in 2011, Apple issued the following statement, “Steve leaves behind a company that only he could have built, and his spirit will forever be the foundation of Apple.” Steve Jobs was able to build a team of committed, inspired and motivated people who shared his dream to make the world better through technology.

Fourth, is dreaming big dreams. The capacity to dream big is one of the most important components of life and accomplishing anything that is worth noting. Small dreams for the ancillary products of larger dreams fizzle out.

In the same Stanford address, Steve Jobs said, “Follow your heart even when it leads you off the well-worn path, and that will make all the difference”

Successful innovation has to be rooted in a desire to serve the greater good through an ambitious dream that one refuse to let go of and can draw others to it.

It is fair to say that the modern world with its greater freedoms and advancements has benefited greatly from these innovators.

The post Essentials of Innovation appeared first on Hyun Jin Preston Moon.

The Chandaria Innovation and Incubation Center, which opened on July 30, seeks to shift the output of university education from “job seekers to job creators”

On July 30, 2013, the Chandaria Business Innovation and Incubation Center was unveiled at Kenyatta University. The center promises an approach that seeks to redefine university education and open new opportunities for economic development.

Kenya’s latest unemployment rates are near 12 percent according to the Institute of Economic Affairs. The World Bank reports more than 800,000 people entering the job market, including university graduates, competing for 50,000 openings.

The center will support 50 student innovations and entrepreneurial ideas for a 6-12 month incubation period upon where it will be introduced into the market. The center was made possible in part by a substantial personal contribution from Dr. Chandaria. At the event, Dr Chandaria urged, “We need a nation which can produce results.”

At the unveiling, Oliver Mugenda vice-chancellor of Kenyatta University said of the project, “The aim of this programme is to create a shift from job seekers to job creators.” Minister of Trade Chirau Ali Mwakwere said the center will connect emerging entrepreneurs to the global market and create new sectors of economic growth.

Dr. Chandaria is no stranger to entrepreneurship. As the CEO of Comcraft Group, he took the small, family-run, aluminum pots manufacturer and built it into a billion dollar business that operates in over 40 countries.

On entrepreneurship Dr. Chandaria is quoted in Entrepreneurial Solutions for Prosperity in BoP Markets, by Eric Kacou saying:

“The essence of entrepreneurship is the fire in the belly, that drive. That is the key to open the constraints that are in your way. That is the key to open the doors that keep you inside instead of going out. You’ve got to walk to any destination.”

“The essence of entrepreneurship is the fire in the belly, that drive.”

In other words, successful business endeavors are driven by vision and leadership. Educating the future innovators is not merely about how much they know, but how much they are driven by a need to make a significant impact on their world.

Dr. Chandaria has also been a strong advocate of youth volunteerism as a means of cultivating “the fire in the belly” necessary for innovative solutions to current challenges.  During the launch of the African Peace Service Corps in 2012, Dr. Chandraria said, “This is what we want – that each of us must make sure that our children are not sitting home and just doing nothing. We would like to see each one of them give something.” For Dr. Chandaria, service is a means for unemployed youth to make meaningful contributions to society and develop professional skills.

As Kenya works through its current economic challenges towards Vision 2030, its development roadmap, wisdom like Dr. Chandaria’s is invaluable. Creating value in new markets requires not just innovation, but a sustainable driving force, a vision to serve humanity.

The post Chandaria Innovation Incubation Center Promises Shift in Higher Education and New Market Opportunities appeared first on Hyun Jin Preston Moon.