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You'll be reading a lot from and about me. I certainly am destined to stay - so careful now, I can't wait to start my new blogging experience. As excited as I am about it, i surely do know its going to be awesome!
Zanele is a Spark International Changemaker 2013 Alumni, of 120 applications was amongst 18 to be selected from all over South Africa to attend the Spark Accelerator program facilitated by CEO of Spark, Aaron Tait. The Young Social Entrepreneurs Academy, which she Founded and currently sits as CEO, was also amongst 6 enterprises out of 950 applications received by Seed Engine to participate in their business accelerator incubation program through the SEED Institute based in Sandton, Johannesburg for 12 weeks.
Further being amongst 26 young women selected from around the world to attend the Young Women's Leadership Summit held in Washington DC at Georgetown University-McDough School of Business in June 2013, by Ilive2lead International, an international non-profit organisation based in Washington DC that brings together exceptional young leaders from around the world, conducting leadership training and executive education with powerful women and global business industry leaders. Zanele got the opportunity to represent young women in South Africa at the United States Senate by engaging in round table, open discussions with senators, congress men and women and global ambassadors on socio-economic challenges affecting women around the world, and developing sustainable solutions to empowering and building stronger women leaders in developing and developed countries around the globe. Zanele is a Bachelors in Business Administration graduate student who aspired to study international relations and politics at Georgetown University.
She had been fortunate to be amongst 100 Brightest Young Minds chosen around South Africa and the rest of the world to attend the Brightest Young Minds Summit in August 2013. She expressed her experience as "worth every second" after the Summit, and being happy to be an Alumnus of BYM 2013. Soon after sponsored by South Africa's official marketing agency, Brand South Africa to participate in the 4th annual One Young World Summit that took place for the very first time in Africa, in Sandton Johannesburg in October 2013.
Through her commitments and passion to speak about issues that affect women and youth on a global scale,
Zanele was recently elected as a member and representative of the Youth Advisory Panel of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) after being invited to attend the Conference on Maternal, New Born and Child Health in Boksburg - Johannesburg during the year and invited to the Mail and Gardian Thinking Forum with the International Migrant Organisation, GIZ, Loveife and UNFPA, where she shared challenges that youth face as refugees and migrant in new countries from her experiences as well as proposing possible recommendations to be undertaken by the global organisations to stimulate change. Her participation was well appreciated and received massive applauds for her tremendous contributions.
She speaks humbly of her accomplishments and as the Founder of , the Young Social Entrepreneurs Academy, expresses her long term goal of seeing it prosper. "I want young people to dream, to dream beyond what they see. I want young people to Believe not only in themselves, but in others. I want young people - as they are said to be the largest population in the world - to use the power that lies
in their hands." She shared how the Young Social Entrepreneurs Academy aims to be the a continental institute for social entrepreneurs who implement change, where solutions stimulated by the use of innovation, creativity and imagination come to life, to create a world where poverty and youth unemployment amongst other challenges, do not exist. "Effective leadership will be practiced within each economies governmental structure, political leaders will create successful and transparent institution of positive change with integrity. Women will play vital roles in the performance of their countries and gender inequalities will no longer be an issue. No young person will be unemployed, and poverty will not exist. The future of our generation and the next generation to come... - as Bishop Desmond Tutu once reiterated 'lies in our hands'." She said. Zanele aims to create that vision through the inauguration, development and growth of the Young Social Entrepreneurs Academy.
Zanele has a passion for marketing and is currently perusing her Bachelors in Business Administration Majoring in Marketing Management with the IMM Graduate School of Marketing. She keeps maintains a balanced and healthy lifestyle by not only playing tennis, yoga and netball, but she enjoys being outdoors hiking and doing any adventurous activities that give her an adrenalin rush to keep her active physically, mentally and spiritually. "3 things on my bucket list that i hope to do before the year 2015 are: bungee jumping, sky diving and scuba diving...don't ask me why I haven't done them yet.. all i can really say is "'They are extremely extreme sports and require A LOT of therapy!'"
As an ilive2lead Global Ambassador Zanele got the chance to travel to Deauville and Paris in France to attend the prestigious global annual meeting- the Women's Forum on Economy and Society, where she played a role in stimulating minds by asking relevant questions and steering attention to "listening to the new voices of the youth". She was one of 7 young women from 5 different continents invited to represent young women and men from their continents and part of the official media and press, blogging about their experiences after interviewing global leaders, CEO's, Founders and representatives of multi-national co-operations from around Europe and the world. Their experiences were published on international press such as Forbes, Daily Beast, Huffington Post, ilive2lead Blog and Diplomatic Courier newspapers.
Having attended an AIESEC South Africa Conference in her early tertiary years and being a member of the largest youth lead organisation in the world, Zanele still finds time to offer her skills and energy to Non profitable organisations, such as the Reach for a Dream Organisation which has a national presence in South Africa. "I started volunteering at the tender age of 16, which helped me enhance my skills and attain not only experience in diverse fields and industries of expertise but, that of motivating me to achieve greater heights." She was elected Class Representative Leader, Student Representatives Board and Committee member of Varsity College Cares and the Golden Key International Honorary Society during her 1st and 2nd years of tertiary studies.
I hope to write more about my journey, as much as I would love to add accomplishments from the past, I'd rather keep space for future achievements! Nonetheless - Welcome to my blog!" - Zanele Mabaso
Follow Zanele on Twitter: @zanelemabaso23
Email zmabaso (at) hotmail (dot) com
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The Young Social Entrepreneurs Academy on Twitter: @yseacademy
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