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Around the Globe in 7 months
Jenk 是一位 16 岁的社会企业家、公众演说家、社会变革活动家、DJ、演员和主持人，也是 Thred Media 的创始人兼首席营销官，这是一家 100% 专注于 Z 世代的出版、咨询和制作的社会企业.
Jenk 曾出现在 250 多篇文章中，包括《福布斯》、《商业内幕》、甲骨文创业公司，并获得了包括 2021 年戴安娜奖在内的多个奖项，詹克是 Google Z-Council、甲骨文创业公司、微软 Surface 的成员年轻的企业家团队和知识社会（TKS）。 Jenk 喜欢谈论 Z 世代的未来、青年企业家精神、社会变革和青年就业，希望能帮助其他年轻人发展他们有影响力的想法。
Embarking on a gap year is more than just a break from academics—it's a transformative journey that equips young students to tackle the world's challenges head-on. But the concept of a gap-year, like any other rewarding new adventure, can be quite intimidating for many. How will I benefit from a gap year? Is a gap year necessary? What will I do in a gap year? These are some of the most common questions students have.
A gap year isn't just about filling time; it's about empowering students to pause and discover their purpose. What’s more is that there are many promising gap year programs which provide students with an immersive learning experience through travel, field work and a carefully curated curriculum.
One such program is the Baret Scholars.
Named after the first woman to circumnavigate the globe in the 1760s, Baret Scholars is a selective program for 180 students to grow and mature as individuals. Over 7 months, students experience 7 regions: starting in New England in September and traveling through Paris, São Paulo, Istanbul, Nairobi, and New Delhi, ending in China and graduating in Japan. They study each culture through experienced speakers and artists, learn a local language, volunteer with local NGOs, and support fellows in research. Each region offers 105 fellowship options, including hiking the Appalachians, studying Bengal Tiger conservation, exploring Amazon biodiversity, learning urban planning in Saudi Arabia, or making art in Nigeria.
We hear from Bhagyashree, a Baret Scholars applicant from Mumbai, India, and the Founder of Empower Magazine. Coming from a state-board school, Bhagyashree's first international experience was as a Yale Young Global Scholar, where she engaged with a diverse liberal arts curriculum alongside students from over 150 countries. This exposure inspired her to pursue a fully-funded fellowship at the University of Oxford two years later.
There, she formed lifelong friendships, developed empathy and cultural understanding, and gained essential life skills. We were intrigued by Bhagyashree’s journey and sought her perspective on taking a gap year. In conversation with Farhad Anklesaria, Head of Baret Scholars South Asia, Bhagyashree explains why she believes a gap year can be transformative for students in finding their purpose.
您在八岁时创立了 iCoolKid，后来发展成为 Thred Media。您成为企业家的主要灵感来源是什么？
Jenk： 我想最好的开始是从头开始。
老实说，我什至不知道企业家这个词是什么意思，所以我绝对没有一开始就说我想成为一名企业家。你从简单的构思开始；差不多就是这样，你的想法。因此，将其标记为企业家是您最不想考虑的事情，但是人们早在您给自己贴上标签之前就开始给您贴上标签。
我的旅程从我 8 岁开始。我在学校集会上做了一个 Show and Tell，然后我花了 3 年时间建立了我的第一个网站 iCoolKid。
当我最终雇佣并解雇了 3 个不同的网站建设者时，肯定有很多犹豫。这是非常令人沮丧和沮丧的，但积极的心态占了上风，我们继续前进。我们在 2016 年 5 月雇佣了我们的第一位员工，他实际上是我当时的吉他老师，很长一年后，我的第一个网站 iCoolKid.com 上线了。
一路走来，年轻人开始伸出援手，与我分享他们现实生活中的个人情况。起初，它只是每周发送几条消息，但在接下来的 2 年中发展为每天发送多条消息。他们中的每一个人都让我对地球各个角落的其他 Z 世代正在经历的事情有了更好、更现实的理解。这也让我意识到，我天真地没有意识到我应该代表的 Z 世代社区本身的困境，无论是俄罗斯的同性恋青少年因为无法向父母出柜而感到自杀，还是年轻女孩使用垃圾箱中的垃圾作为女性卫生用品，甚至是非常年轻的青少年在学校附近挖沟以获得干净的水。
这些话题涵盖了整个社会问题，我在一个安全、干净和进步的家庭中长大，却不知道这些事情。
在听了数百个发自内心的故事之后，一个比一个更凄美；当我决定我希望它具有更大的意义并争取更高水平的教育，最终领导采取可操作的步骤来创造更大规模的变化。
2019年，我踏上了新的征程，包括4个步骤：
我将 iCoolKid 重命名为 Thred——我喜欢 Thred 这个名字，因为有一条连续性的线索将我听到的所有故事联系起来。那个线程，是改变的需要。
我重新调整了内容的重点，使其成为 100% 的社会变革，不仅仅是部分，而是整个事情。
我重新定位了人口统计，从 8-13 岁向上移动到 16-24+。
最后，我对公司进行了重组，将咨询与出版垂直包括在内，这样我们就可以与公司交谈，为他们提供见解并让他们对我们的行动表示认可。
最后，在 2020 年 7 月，我们推出了 Thred.com——一个全新的网站，100% 关注社会变革，截至目前，Thred.com 已有 18 个月的历史，拥有来自 180 多个国家的访客，我们伦敦办事处有 11 名全职员工和 10 个远程作家。
Thred 业务支柱
我们有 3 个主要支柱，它们通过三角剖分形成 Thred Media。
第一支柱 - Thred 出版
其中心宗旨是 100% 关注社会变革的网站 Thred.com
第二支柱 - Thred 社区
我们所有的社交媒体渠道都有超过 200,000 名追随者，还有一群令人惊叹的大使、实习生、远程作家和 Discord 成员。
第三支柱 - Thred 咨询（为我们所有其他工作提供资金）
Thred Media 是关于青年文化和 Z 世代的。许多人认为，GenZ 所相信的那种激进主义和变革，尤其是在线激进主义是不够的。您对 Z 世代创造社会变革有何看法？
Jenk：每一点帮助都受到欢迎和赞赏，无论是一个帖子、100 次抗议还是议会中的 1000 次会议，因为每一点帮助和激励其他人开始，这是非常积极的。
我不喜欢别人评判别人的努力；它会适得其反，并阻止人们做出导致大改变的小努力。我也喜欢让人们以小贡献者的身份开始这个过程并随着时间的推移增加他们的贡献的想法。
Bhagyashree during her fellowship at University of Oxford
成为“社会企业家”对您意味着什么？
Jenk：社交部分来自于您对地球积极倡议的关注，企业家部分来自于创新并愿意通过启动结构推动地球积极成果。
Some places on the Baret Route Map
除了是一名企业家和演讲者之外，您还是一名 DJ。是什么让你发现 DJ 是一种激情？
Jenk： 我很早就发现了音乐，因为它整天都在整个房子里播放，从爵士乐到古典音乐，甚至是家庭音乐。我的妈妈在 80 年代是一名 DJ，她鼓励我尝试一下，一旦我尝试了，我就再也没有回头。
“THE BARET SCHOLARS PROGRAM STANDS OUT FOR ITS UNIQUE BLEND OF STRUCTURE AND INDEPENDENCE, ALLOWING STUDENTS TO SELF-DESIGN THEIR FELLOWSHIPS WHILE TRAVELING THE GLOBE."
That’s so comprehensive. Thank you so much. Lastly, what application tip would you give to any prospective Baret Scholar?
Bhagyashree: I’d say take a holistic approach and stay true to yourself. Spend time reflecting on your values, why you want to be a Baret Scholar, and the most influential, memorable moments, people, and places that have shaped you. Tie these reflections into your story. Show all your academic, extracurricular, enterprising, artistic, emotional, moral, and spiritual sides—because all of this makes you whole as a person.
I’d also recommend applicants to read Baret’s "Before And Beyond" book to understand your 'why' for the program. More than anything, don’t stress about sending in the perfect application. Enjoy the process of reflecting and crafting your essays as if you were narrating your story to a dear friend who is listening to you with curiosity and compassion.
And for those second-guessing, I’d say just go ahead and give it a try. There’s no harm in applying, and if you get lucky, Baret truly is an experience of a lifetime.
"THERE'S SO LITTLE TIME TO REFLECT ON ONE'S VALUES, FIND OUT ONE'S PURPOSE, AND ASK ONESELF- WHAT DO I WANT FROM MY LIFE?"
JENK_cc781905-5cde -3194-bb3b-136bad5cf58d_ 的快速射击
About the Interviewer
Farhad Anklesaria is the Head of South Asia and a Founding member
of Baret Scholars.
You can reach out to him at farhad.anklesaria@baretscholars.org
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