Search launched for young entrepreneurs to shape Sunderland's future

Five young Sunderland entrepreneurs are being sought to take part in a nationwide tour aimed at improving local communities.

The 11-day learning journey for young entrepreneurs is looking for five participants from Sunderland who have ideas to improve their communities with the arts or enterprise

New youth charity Drivers for Change is running the project this summer for 100 young entrepreneurs. The project aims to inspire young people to take ownership of driving change in

their communities.

They will be launching from Liverpool this June and travelling to eight towns and cities in the UK, including Sunderland, before finishing in London with a reception at Parliament.

The five participants from Sunderland will join a group of other motivated future leaders - aged 18-26 - and together will go an 11-day learning journey around the UK. While on the journey each participant will get leadership and enterprise skills training and support to develop a social enterprise or community project plan.

Jude Kelly CBE, outgoing artistic director at Southbank Centre and founder of the Women of the World Festival, sits on the board of Drivers for Change and said: “If you are going to change communities, you have to bring creativity, imagination and a sense of what the future can be. We believe there are hundreds or even thousands of young people who, given the opportunity can make the UK so much better."

Supporting Drivers for Change in Sunderland is the Music, Arts and Culture Trust (the MAC Trust), the organisation behind the Fire Station development in the City’s Culture Quarter. Paul

Callaghan, chairman of the MAC Trust said: “This is a fantastic opportunity for some young people from the city to join this amazing journey around the UK and see at first hand some of the extraordinary projects that are happening today in Britain.

"The lucky participants will gain invaluable insight and ideas that they can bring back to Sunderland to help drive the changes we are currently experiencing here.”

Drivers for Change is a charity and this project is heavily subsidised through partnership funding from British Council and PwC. Participants are asked to attempt to fundraise a contribution of £250 towards their place.

Applications to join the journey can be made via their website at: www.driversforchange.org.ukApplications close March 26.