By Agung Waluyo

Thousands of young Indonesians together with millions of young people around the world will join a growing movement to generate new ideas and to seek better ways of doing things. Nearly, 75 countries have come together for the first time to host Global Entrepreneurship Week, an initiative to inspire young people to embrace innovation, imagination and creativity. To think big. To turn ideas into reality. To make their mark.

Perhaps the most important impact of Indonesia participating in Global Entrepreneurship Week is raising the awareness the Indonesian society that entrepreneurship is a very important factor for Indonesian young generations to be equipped with in such a way that they will be part of the solution of unemployment problem and poverty alleviation in Indonesia. Not only that, it is believed that Entrepreneurship will empower the nation to find the right path toward a more prosperous society. Entrepreneurship is indeed the right passport for their future.

Today, entrepreneurial individuals appear from all walks of life. From November 17-23, 2008, Global Entrepreneurship Week will connect people everywhere through local, national, and global activities designed to help them explore their potential as self-starters and innovators. Students, educators, entrepreneurs, business leaders, government officials, media and many others will participate in a range of activities to harness the energy of social networking, to connect people taking action in their local and global communities, and to celebrate entrepreneurship across the globe.

The concept was originally conceived by British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Carl Schramm, the president and CEO of the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. But while it may be global in scope, at its heart Global Entrepreneurship Week remains a local initiative driven by community-based activities in the countries hosting it.

Through this initiative, the next generation of entrepreneurs will emerge--even in places where the dream of entrepreneurship has always seemed out of reach. These budding entrepreneurs will acquire the knowledge, skills, networks, and values needed to grow innovative, sustainable enterprises with a positive impact on their lives and lives around them.

Global Entrepreneurship Week introduce the notion of enterprising behavior to as many young people under the age of 30 who otherwise might not have considered it as a path in their life. Young people across national boundaries will be able to network in a global effort to find new ideas at the intersection of cultures and disciplines. The event will demonstrate that the drive to nurture enterprising talent needs business, education, government, voluntary organizations and the media to work together no single sector or organization working in isolation can create opportunities on this ambitious scale.

Young people learn by example, therefore, active and inspirational entrepreneurs are encouraged to coach and mentor the next generation of enterprise talent as they pursue their entrepreneurial dreams. The week is a good time for us to inform opinion leaders and policy makers that entrepreneurship is central to a nation's economic health and culture and to provide different nations with the opportunity to learn from each other on entrepreneurial policy and practice.

To celebrate the Global Entrepreneurship Week in Indonesia, there are more than 15 events have been organized by the Indonesian country host, Jody Dharmawan from the Entrepreneur's Organization, Indonesian chapter, Dr. Agung Waluyo from the University of Ciputra Entrepreneurship Center, Dr. Riga Soeprapto from the University of Indonesia and Rossy Waworuntu from the Ernst & Young, Indonesia. To celebrate the Global Entrepreneurship Week.

All events are all local initiatives by various organizations and institutions that bear the same vision to create a more prosperous Indonesia through entrepreneurship. Ernst & Young, Indonesia, as one of the global sponsors of Global Entrepreneurship Week will hold its prestigious Ernst & Young Entrepreneurship of The Year 2008 award banquet on November 19 in Jakarta. University of Ciputra Entrepreneurship Center sponsors the Entrepreneurship Educators National Conference on November 20-21 in Jakarta. Junior Achievement Indonesia and Bina Nusantara University will host a business game simulation devoted for high school and college students.

University of Ciputra will host an entrepreneurship festival on November 22 in Surabaya. YoungBiz Indonesia held the YoungBiz National Student Entrepreneurship Award on September 27. Various school activities and events will be held by Pembangunan Jaya School, Global Jaya School, Citra Kasih and Citra Berkat Schools and Metropolitan Schools.

Eventually, we hope our participation in Global Entrepreneurship Week will unify all efforts to promote entrepreneurship by all stake holders in Indonesia and together create a better and more prosperous Indonesia.