Alex Bellotti: Empowering Young Leaders to Build a Sustainable Future for All

Ladderworks is a publishing platform of diverse picture books and online curriculum with the mission to empower over a million kids to become social entrepreneurs. Our current series features interviews by our interplanetary journalist Spiffy with inspiring Social Entrepreneurs, Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Builders, and Changemakers who are advancing the UN SDGs. 

Spiffy here with the scoop on the entrepreneurial leaders of Planet Earth. As the only interplanetary journalist stationed on this blue planet, I’m thrilled to present this galactic exclusive with Alex Bellotti, the managing director of One Young World. Let’s learn what’s happening there and how Alex is making a positive impact in the world.

Spiffy: Thanks for joining me, Alex! Tell me, what challenge are you addressing through One Young World?

Alex: Thanks for having me, Spiffy! One Young World empowers and develops young leaders to build a fair, sustainable future for all. It begins with the annual One Young World Summit—a landmark event of the year for young leaders. It is a chance for the individuals responsible for shaping the future of our world to come together to confront the biggest challenges facing humanity. The Summit is the ultimate place to be inspired, share learnings, and connect. But the Summit is not only a life-changing four-day experience, it also is just the start of every attendee’s journey with us. Every leader who attends leaves the Summit as a One Young World Ambassador and a valued member of our global community.

Spiffy: That sounds wonderful! Tell me, what motivates you to tackle this challenge?

Alex: I knew I wanted to work in a role that allowed me to make a positive impact in the world. From a young age, I've always been fortunate enough to be in very multicultural environments, so I wanted to continue that in my working life too. So coupling my passion for social impact with my desire for being surrounded by lots of different cultures and nationalities, One Young World was the perfect place for me. I am constantly motivated in my mission because every day I am exposed to the amazing work that the young leaders of our community have done and continue to do. I am driven to keep finding opportunities for them as well as funding, connections, and platforms that will shine a light on their work and allow them to have an even greater scale of impact.

Spiffy: That is so inspiring! How would you describe the impact of your work?

Alex: As an organization, we are committed to driving change across all 17 SDGs, and we believe businesses can and should play a bigger role in being forces for good in the world. From working on innovative solutions for climate change, social justice, political reform, education access, health equity, and much more. The impact of our work spans every sector and every country in the world. We do this through a number of scholarship programmes so we can be assured that every country and industry has a seat at the table when discussing solutions to the problems we see in our world today.

Spiffy: Tell me about a recent organization milestone or initiative. What impact does it make on your audience or community?

Alex: We recently published our annual Impact Report. It showed that in 2022 alone, our Ambassador community generated $1.3B in social value. This is a huge achievement and something I am very proud of. Examples of this work and how that impact was achieved can be found here.

Spiffy: Is there anything else you would love to tell our audience?

Alex: One thing I can share after doing this for over ten years is that social impact comes in many different forms. No matter who you are, where you're from, or what you're good at, you can be a force for good in the world. Whether it's volunteering a few hours a week, or joining an NGO for your first internship, or fundraising for a cause close to your heart on the weekends, you don't have to wait to be an adult to make a positive impact on this world. Your consumer choices, the way you spend your time, who you choose to work for in the future (or, if you want to be an entrepreneur, who your company will help), and your influence are all powerful tools in deciding how you want to make an impact.

Spiffy: Thanks for speaking with me today, Alex—it’s been an honor!

Alex Bellotti is managing director and executive board member of One Young World. Alex oversees funding and partnerships, acting as the global point of contact for senior level stakeholders at partner organizations. Alex is a strong advocate of social justice and a firm believer in the role the private sector can play in addressing the unequal distribution of resources and opportunities in society today. Alex is also a UN speaker. (First published on the Ladderworks website on July 11, 2023.)

The views and opinions expressed herein are those of the interviewee and do not necessarily reflect those of Ladderworks LLC.

© 2023 Ladderworks LLC. Edited by George Romar. Spiffy’s illustration by Shreyas Navare. For the Ladderworks digital curriculum to help K-3 kids advance the UN SDGs, visit Spiffy's Launchpad: Creative Entrepreneurship Workshops for K-3 Kids and their caregivers here.