Passions and Possibilities Project Mission | The Passions and Possibilities® Network

Paying It Forward to Budding, Young Adult Passioneers®

Make a Passion Possible is a Washington-State charitable nonprofit corporation awaiting 501c3 tax-exempt status this summer. We support young adults and other budding, conscious entrepreneurs and leaders to create new, prosperous ventures that pay it forward to people and the planet. Our primary focus is students and graduates of colleges, trade schools, and other training programs. The mission? To prove that when you do what you love AND give back, the rest does follow!. Our offerings include entrepreneur mentoring, group coaching, educational curriculum, grants of funds, goods, and services, as well as business incubation services.

Vision: We envision a world that overflows with socially- and environmentally-conscious young adults who experience and express their Passions and Possibilities® through community projects and business ventures…boldly, vibrantly, joyfully, abundantly, and with great compassion.

Mission: The mission of the Make a Passion Possible charitable nonprofit is to educate and inspire young adults and other individuals in the principles of leadership, social entrepreneurship, innovation, and community engagement so they become thriving, successful contributors to local, national, and global economies and communities.

Background

Most young adults in the upcoming generation (i.e., between 18 and 25 years old), are struggling to figure out how to both make a living doing what they love and to give back to people and the planet. Although many of them go to college, a large percentage do not graduate and/or do not land jobs when they do.

Below are some key symptoms of the problem:

A recent Rutgers University study found that more than 30% of recent grads didn’t land jobs between 2006 and 2010.
Although three-quarters of today’s young adults pursue some form of postsecondary education, fewer than half earn a certificate or degree within six years of enrolling.
Currently, the U.S. ranks ninth in the world in a four-way tie for college completion and only 42 percent of young adults in the U.S., ages 25 to 34, have a college degree.
Students with an education or an engineering degree are more likely to find a job that matches their college education than those who graduate in the humanities.
Most young adults, including college students, receive little education on the option of entrepreneurship.
For young people, 15-24 years old, suicide is the third leading cause of death (www.save.org). This statistic is the most chilling.

Most start-up resources for entrepreneurs, including incubators, in the United States are geared towards technology, biotechnology, and other lucrative product industries. Attrition rates for the average small business is 80% within the first five years, and this rate is likely much higher for socially- and environmentally-conscious entrepreneurs due to a lack of start-up information and resources, the perceived conflict of interest in earning a profit and doing good in the world, and challenges in proving a sufficient ROI to secure venture capital funding.

The fact that there are so many budding Passioneers who want to give back in big ways to address the planet’s social and environmental issues is very inspiring. The fact that they may not be able to accomplish their dreams for making a difference is tragic.

Solution

We’re creating a supportive community of young adult entrepreneurs and older adult mentors and supporters, who are all consciously and prosperously paying it forward to people and the planet through social enterprises, social entrepreneurship, and community engagement. We call it a Passioneering® Tribe. The charitable nonprofit Make a Passion Possible will offer these young adults incubator services, including a network of mentor coaches & consultants, physical and virtual meeting spaces, grants of goods, services, and money, as well as sponsorships.