Ottawa Young Leader's Fund

Dear Believers,

My name is Eldon Holder Jr. (E.J.) and from Kanata to Orleans (even Embrun), Ottawa is my home from coast-to-coast. I was raised here, studied here, worked here, and now I’m ready to serve as an Ambassador here at the One Young World Summit.  Now more than ever, we need young action-oriented individuals to carry-on traditions, push forward innovative ideas, and be the life blood that continues to make this country and its cities truly world class.  As the Baby Boomers continue to retire at an increasing rate, an inevitable void is growing everyday and our window of opportunity to transfer valuable knowledge is narrowing.

Earlier this month I was selected to represent Canada at the upcoming One Young World Summit 2016 held in Ottawa.  At the Summit, delegates debate, formulate and share innovative solutions for the pressing issues the world faces.  

I'll be honest here in sharing that I was absolutely ecstatic, and honored at the same time when I received the delegate selection letter from the founders.  Especially since at past Summits delegates were joined by a line-up of Counsellors that included:
 Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu, Kofi Annan, Sir Richard Branson, Jamie Oliver, Jack Dorsey and Arianna Huffington. 

Let's just say for someone who grew up in a low income neighbourhood, playing pickup basketball at the Bayshore Community Centre and the Boys and Girls club to stay out of trouble, I had my fair share of obstacles. The son of a single mother in a blended family, I was raised from very humble beginnings. I got my first job at age twelve to help contribute to the household bills and I have been working ever since.


It's safe to say that the statistics were certainly not in my favour.  I was often shut out of experiences based on my socio-economic status.  If it were not for a strong family support network, and a tight knit community, the outcome may have been very different. For those who know the struggle, I am eternally grateful for your support.


In a nutshell, opportunities like One Young World are rare and we need all of our voices at the table to change our world for the better.  


Call To Action: 
I ask you to invest in the future through me. Why gamble on the unknown, when you can bet on somone you know and trust.  I boldly ask you to bet on me, a local guy from Ottawa with an insatiable desire to give where I live.  It has always been a dream of mine to represent country and community on the global stage.

If you know me, then you know my work ethic, and you know I won't let you down. Put me in a room with Richard Branson and I'll come back with a spaceship and  our city's name in solar lights on the side. It's time to get our share in the National Capital Region. The money raised from The Ottawa Future Leader's Fundraising Campaign will be used towards paying the Delegate Administrative Registration Fee and Summit hand-outs/support materials.  The goal here is to have the Young Leaders Fund to help cover the cost of the summit for this year's delegate (me)and for future young leaders from Ottawa.

See below for additional details:

Delegate Expense

· Access to the Summit.

· Summit hand-outs and support materials.

· Participation in External and Internal breakout plenary group

· Access to One Young World Leadership Community

Total required: £2,655 ($4,618.98 CDN)
Total requested through GoFundMe: $2,500 CDN
***The rest is coming from my personal hard earned dollar.  (It means that much to me)***

The Ottawa Future Leader's Fund aims to raise the necessary funds by Monday September 26, 2016.

Please note: No donation is too small and every little bit helps. I too remember when all I could give was 10 bucks at Shinerama (Fundraiser for Cystic Fibrosis Canada) in university. However, we kindly ask for $20 on average as there are crowdsourcing processing fees payable by me the delegate.

For donors who contribute $200 or more , I will sport a company logo on my sponsorship t-shirt for the entirety of the summit. Not to mention, I will also sing your philanthropic praises at every opportunity during the several Networking Luncheons with One Young World Keynote Counsellors such as Kofi Annan, Sir Bob Geldof, Professor Muhammad Yunus & Mary Robinson.
 

Up close with the Canada's One Young World Ambassador...

As an active member of the community at an early age, giving back and helping others has always been a part of what keeps me occupied and motivated. I have carried this passion through university and in both my personal and profession life.  In 2014, I organized a community initiative called Clean-Up the capital in Ottawa's East-end. This event aimed to encourage local youth to actively take part in the maintenance of their respective neighborhoods.  




In 2015, I organized a handfull of community forums. Including local Job Fairs to improve youth employment, and provide 1-one-1 interview workshops to help underemployed candidates across the National Capital Region reach their full potential.  Attending the One Young World Summit would be an absolute honor. It would provide an opportunity to  take part in  meaningful discussions around issues such as employment equity, anti-racism, and social entrepreneurship.  I intend to apply the knowledge and experience gleaned from this Summit to improve the world of work for the next generation of talented leaders. 

My One Young World Ambassador Goals & Prospective Projects:

·        Promoting Diversity and Inclusion in the Workplace: Partner with public, private, and not-for-profit organizations to establish a network of relationships committed to implementing a corporate social responsibility strategy which includes youth employment and strong generational succession planning.  I will facilitate youth advisory groups to identify gaps and offer a local lens on programming to improve the awareness and promote innovation.  

·      Improve Youth Civic Engagement:  Following the summit I would like to explore the possibility of creating a youth advisory group. This group of leaders will be tasked with partnering up with senior’s centres across the city to collaborate, to explore, and to participate in municipal policy development or neighbourhood action committees.

·         Encourage Youth Entrepreneurship:  Organize a multi-day conference where students and young professionals are praised and celebrated for their achievements. They will have the opportunity to speak with leaders from different sectors highlighting how gaps were innovatively resolved in their respective industries and how to best position the next generation  of leaders for success.  

Learn more about what makes me tick at my One Young World Profile.  Click Here  for a behind the scenes peek.

With my diverse community volunteering experience, professional background as a HR Staffing Consultant, and my passion to pursue a career in socio-economic development, I believe that I am an ideal candidate to represent Ottawa as an Ambassador of Change and Future Leader at the One Young World Summit.  

 Considering the above, I think it's safe to say that attending this conference means a great deal to me and those who believe in diversity, inclusion, and employment equity.  I would welcome an opportunity to sit down with you anytime to further discuss my plans to shape the world of work, and improve our global employment landscape.  

If you wish to learn more about this incredible opportunity to represent Ottawa on the global stage, click here: https://www.oneyoungworld.com/about-us 

Thank you for your time and contribution. 

Yours truly,

Eldon Holder Jr. (E.J.)
One Young World Ambassador 2016 (Canada)


P.S. - A word from the founder, Kate Robertson

                        Click Here For BBC Live Interview

To whom it may concern,

This letter confirms that Eldon Holder Jr. from Canada, has been selected as a suitable representative of his/her country and generation for the One Young World Summit 2016 in Ottawa, Canada, 28 September - 1 October.

One Young World is a charity that stages an annual Summit, which gathers together the brightest young people from around the world, empowering them to make lasting connections to create positive change. The 2015 Summit in Bangkok welcomed 1,300 delegates aged between 18 and 30 from 196 countries. Unlike any other event, the Summit gives young people the kind of media platform and forum ordinarily afforded only to the leaders of nations and corporations.

Eldon has been selected as an outstanding candidate to attend the upcoming Summit on the basis of his/her capacity for leadership, concern about global issues, ability to generate and articulate impactful ideas, teamwork and evidenced commitment to volunteering or other extracurricular activities.  

At the Summit, the most valuable young talent from global and national companies, NGOs, universities and other forward-thinking organisations are joined by world leaders; the One Young World Counsellors. Previous Counsellors have included President Bill Clinton, Nobel laureate Kofi Annan, Sir Bob Geldof, Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu, Sir Richard Branson, Arianna Huffington, Jamie Oliver, Fatima Bhutto, Unilever CEO Paul Polman and Mary Robinson.

Delegates debate, formulate and share innovative solutions for the pressing issues the world faces. Following each Summit the attending delegates become One Young World Ambassadors and are charged to work on their own initiatives or lend the power of the One Young World network to those already in existence.  Ambassadors have gone on to have an impact on issues ranging from education, global business, health, human rights, sustainable development and transparency.

We invite you or your company/organisation to sponsor Eldon as a delegate for the 2016 Summit in Ottawa. This is a unique opportunity to play a part in inspiring the next generation of responsible leaders. The cost per delegate is £2,975 (GBP). One Young World is a registered charity and makes no profit from delegate sponsorship.

We are delighted to give our approval to Eldon Holder who has distinguished himself/herself as an exemplary young leader. To sponsor Eldon,  please contact our partnerships team at One Young World ([email redacted]).
 
Please do not hesitate to contact us should you have any questions or require further information.

Thank you in advance for your contribution, however large or small.

 
Yours faithfully, 

 David Jones                                    Kate Robertson
Founder One Young World    Founder One Young World