Karen co-founded The Biz Nation with her sisters and fellow One Young World Ambassadors, Daniela and Stephanie. The Biz Nation is an e-learning platform active in nine countries in Latin America, focused on productive education for better opportunities and income generation. Latin America is facing a learning crisis, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, with three in four 15 year olds unable to demonstrate maths skills and one in two struggling with reading comprehension [1]. The Biz Nation’s programmes are primarily focused on women, young people, and micro-entrepreneurs across the region. It has also established partnerships with both corporate and public sectors to reach a larger audience and scale its work.
Karen, alongside Daniela and Stephanie, attended the One Young World Summit in Bogotá, 2017. Karen was a Delegate Speaker and the connections that the sisters made at the Summit have proven pivotal for the growth of their organisation. Karen and her sisters have remained actively involved in the One Young World Community.
The Biz Nation has 100,000 users via its e-learning platform. Its online course catalogue comprises more than 200 options, and it also offers a micro-learning option via WhatsApp, reaching rural communities with no internet connection. The Biz Nation has over 60 active projects with different partners across Latin America including Contrata un Joven, which trains young people in Cali, Colombia; and the Liga F programme, which trains women in Cartagena on digital marketing skills and matches them with job opportunities. It also offers one-to-one and group mentoring opportunities to facilitate wider skills transfer across its user network.
“When you are a One Young World Ambassador, you have a responsibility and responsibility enriches your leadership because you are more conscious of the way you speak, you talk, you do. I think One Young World is a community, so when you are an Ambassador somebody on the other side of the world who is also an Ambassador is always willing and open to talk to you. I would say it's opened many avenues for me, no doubt.”
