Joanna Klimczak

Hello! My name is Joanna, though some call me Jojo, Jo, Joannabelle and at times on late-work nights, Joannimal. Whichever it is, I’m happy with most names!

In elementary and high school, my peers and I were engaged in the community, simply because we viewed it as the right thing to do. We were doing good for others, having fun and gaining a sense of purpose in life. This soon developed into a passion for me. I had a burning desire to help create a world free of extreme poverty, because I believed extreme poverty was something no one should have to live life in, and that it was man-made, so, man could “unmake it”. This belief and desire shaped my values and guided my career ambitions and life as a whole ever since.

As a result, first in high school, I dedicated several years to poverty alleviation through fundraising and non-profit work with several organizations; Hand in Hand International being the primary. Hand in Hand International was an initiative of youth working together to make a difference in the world through acts of kindness. We had raised over $42,000 to adopt two villages in India and Sierra Leone through a programme organized by the Free the Children charity, as well as adopted an orphanage in Sanrak, Thailand. It was an exciting accomplishment for the team, and our time in India, where we helped build a school in a rural community was incredible.

Soon after, I learned about social business, and felt that it was the key to sustaining positive social change. As a result, after Hand in Hand completed its initiatives, which can be viewed at www.handinhandworld.com, myVision was born in April 2012. myVision is a developing global network of youth creating a world free of extreme poverty through social business. Its mission is to bring together 300 million youth to do this, as per a promise my peers and I had made with Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Muhammad Yunus.

Currently, as a 21 year-old undergrad studying International Business and Economics at McGill University in Montreal, Canada, I’m excited and inspired by the incredible momentum myVision is gaining in its early times and I look forward to the positive change we create through it in years to come.