What is the name of your organization?
Global Mentorship Initiative
What is the name of your solution?
Pathway to Prosperity
Provide a one-line summary or tagline for your solution.
A mentorship program that equips marginalized youth with networking, career-building and job placement support to secure meaningful employment.
In what city, town, or region is your solution team headquartered?
Bellevue, WA, USA
In what country is your solution team headquartered?
United States
What type of organization is your solution team?
Nonprofit
Film your elevator pitch.
What specific problem are you solving?
Youth unemployment remains a critical global issue, with 65 million young people out of work. Although the global youth unemployment rate reached a 15-year low in 2023—suggesting recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic—this progress is uneven. Sub-Saharan Africa continues to face high youth unemployment, and young women and displaced youth experience persistent and disproportionately high joblessness. The consequences are significant: beyond slowing economic growth and deepening poverty, early unemployment can cause a “scarring effect” and lead to future joblessness and lower lifetime earnings. Many young people also struggle with anxiety linked to limited job opportunities, unstable employment, and reduced financial independence and social mobility. Contributing factors include a mismatch between skills and job requirements, lack of professional networks, and limited access to opportunities. Career-readiness programs have been shown to improve employment outcomes, yet marginalized youth are less likely to access them—often due to high costs or lack of availability. Without these resources, young people are not equipped to compete in today’s labor market or build sustainable careers. Addressing this issue requires targeted, inclusive solutions that expand access to skills training, mentorship, and employment pathways for all youth.
What is your solution?
Our solution equips underserved college students worldwide with the networking, career-building, and job placement support needed to secure meaningful employment. The program combines 1:1 mentorship with professionals, AI-powered career tools, and partnerships with companies like Microsoft and LinkedIn to give students access to job opportunities and the skills to thrive in today’s market. GMI recruits students through partnerships with youth-serving institutions, focusing on those in their final or penultimate year of college. Simultaneously, GMI’s corporate partners provide professionals who volunteer as mentors. Selected students are matched with a mentor and participate in a 12-week remote mentorship program, currently offered in English and French. Mentors and students meet weekly/biweekly for one hour to cover resume writing, building a professional network, using AI in the job search, advanced LinkedIn strategies, interview preparation, and workplace success. GMI maintains strong relationships with global employers—including Microsoft, Cisco, and other Fortune 500 companies—who are actively seeking diverse and skilled talent. Once students complete the mentorship program, they gain access to recruitment pipelines and personalized job placement support. Through this model, GMI helps bridge the gap between education and employment, ensuring that students are prepared and competitive in the global workforce.
Who does your solution serve, and in what ways will the solution impact their lives?
This program serves first-generation college students, refugees, and young people from underserved communities across the globe who often face barriers to employment due to skills gaps, lack of professional networks, and limited job market access. The demographics of underserved populations vary across and within countries, and GMI relies upon local partners to provide recommendations of populations who are considered low-income or otherwise marginalized within their local contexts. This determination of who is considered underserved is also supplemented by self-reported financial data from students and regional employment, health, poverty and other socioeconomic data. GMI mentees are typically 20-35 years old, with 65% identifying as women and nearly 50% pursuing careers in STEM fields. Many come from low-income backgrounds, where family earnings fall below national median incomes.
The Pathways to Prosperity program will address these students’ needs, as it will provide them with career-building training, networking opportunities through their mentors, and direct pipelines to employment. This program is intentionally provided virtually to allow students across the globe, including displaced learners, to participate at no-cost, allowing individuals of all socioeconomic backgrounds to participate and benefit.
