Application Deadline: March 1st 2018
Applications are now been accepted for the 2018 MENA-Michigan Initiative for Global Action Through Entrepreneurship (M²GATE) virtual exchange program.
- Do you want to make a difference through social entrepreneurship?
- Do you want to make connections with peers in one of the most dynamic regions of the world?
- Apply now to join a new virtual exchange program with fellow students from Egypt, Libya, Morocco, and Tunisia.
- During the eight-week cross cultural program, you and your teammates will have the opportunity to connect with experienced instructors to build the 21st Century skills required to develop and launch a social entrepreneurship project.
Participate in an exciting new program to acquire skills in social entrepreneurship, design thinking, the business model canvas, leadership and more.
Apply now to join a virtual exchange program with fellow students from Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia and the University of Michigan. This program is open to any undergraduate / post-secondary student.
During the 8-week program, you and your teammates will collaborate virtually to brainstorm an entrepreneurial solution to a social challenge. In the process, you’ll learn to work as a team and build bridges between cultures. Winning teams receive a week of entrepreneurship activities in Michigan, including a pitch competition. Find creative solutions to pressing global challenges. Earn a certificate and build your credentials!
The MENA-Michigan Initiative for Global Action Through Entrepreneurship (M²GATE) program is offered by the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan. There is no cost to participate in this program. The program is not for credit.
M2GATE is a team-based social entrepreneurship program that offers experiential learning and cross-cultural interactions with international peers through a virtual exchange.
The program covers the following topics, taught by experienced instructors:
- Cross-cultural Team-building
- Communication Skills
- Leadership Development
- Introduction to Entrepreneurship
- Design Thinking & Creative Inquiry
- Business Model Canvas
Through the eight-week program, your cross-cultural, six-person team will identify a social challenge or issue in the MENA region. Through the program’s instructional modules, your team will learn how to approach this problem and create and pitch an entrepreneurial solution. The program will culminate in your team’s proposed solution being entered in a virtual competition. The MENA-based members of the winning team from each cohort will be offered the opportunity to travel to Michigan to meet their Michigan-based teammates, interact with entrepreneurs in Ann Arbor and Detroit, and pitch their project to an expert panel for feedback and further development.
Eligibility Requirements:
- This application is open to post-secondary (undergraduate) students aged 18-30 at the University of Michigan (USA) Ann Arbor Dearborn, or Flint campuses and postsecondary (undergraduate) students aged 18-30 from Libya, Morocco, Tunisia or refugees currently residing in one of these four countries. (Note: The program is no longer accepting applications from Egypt, as the applicant pool is at capacity.)
- M²GATE encourage applicants from a variety of disciplines – including Engineering, Business, Healthcare, and Liberal Arts – to apply.
- M²GATE strongly encourage women, refugees, and persons with disabilities to apply. (Students who have previously participated in a U.S. Government-funded exchange program are, unfortunately, ineligible for this program.)
Benefits:
- Participants will emerge with new or improved 21st century skills in: global understanding, cross-cultural communication, leadership, and empathy, as well as experience in social ventures.
- In addition, students who complete this program will receive: connections and new friendships with teammates and others; a digital badge linked to a skillset particular to this program, which can be displayed on your LinkedIn profile; and finally, a printed and signed certificate of accomplishment, with branding from the U.S. State Department, Aspen Institute Stevens Initiative, and the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan.
- The MENA-based students on the winning team from each cohort (three teams total) will travel to Ann Arbor, Michigan where the teammates will unite to pitch their solution to a panel of experts and investors. Otherwise, the program will be conducted entirely virtually.
Program Timeline:
This program will run three times in 2018:
Cohort 1: Late January through mid-March 2018
Cohort 2: Early April through early June 2018
Cohort 3: Late May through mid-July 2018
For More Information: