NEWARK, N.J., Sept. 9, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Applications open
today for Prudential Emerging Visionaries, a program that
celebrates young people bringing fresh perspectives and
innovative solutions to pressing financial and societal challenges
in their communities.
The program builds on the legacy and momentum of the Prudential
Spirit of Community Awards, the country's largest youth recognition
program based exclusively on volunteer community service. Since
1995, more than 150,000 young people across the United States have been honored
through these awards. Inspired by the impressive vision of these
young leaders, Prudential has reimagined the program.
Emerging Visionaries now puts the spotlight on financial
wellness as a foundation on which to build a solid future,
championing projects that will help people improve their
financial well-being and create thriving
communities.
"To fulfill our purpose of making lives better by solving the
financial challenges of our changing world, we take a fully
inclusive approach, because we believe the best solutions can come
from anywhere," says Chairman and CEO Charlie Lowrey. "During more than
26 years of celebrating young people around the country, we've
been inspired by their creative and selfless work. With the
Emerging Visionaries program, we're excited to celebrate and
support remarkable young leaders who are driving progress, and
to create a community of change."
In April 2022, 20 students
will be awarded for their solutions to social issues, and five
for their solutions to financial barriers. Each winner will be
awarded $5,000 plus an
all-expenses-paid trip to Prudential's headquarters in Newark, New Jersey, for a recognition event.
During this event, the five honorees in the financial
solutions category will pitch their ideas to Prudential
leaders and one grand prize winner will receive $15,000.
Winners will also have the opportunity to consult with
Prudential leaders about strategies to advance their work, and to
participate in a coaching program with employees to refine their
projects.
Prudential is partnering with Ashoka, a leading organization in
the social impact sector, who will help develop winners' skills
through ongoing workshops and online courses with
advisory support from the Financial Health Network, a leading
authority on financial health and longtime partner of The
Prudential Foundation.
The new direction is lauded by 20-year-old Joshua Williams, a 2013 Prudential honoree and
Ashoka Young Changemaker who runs Joshua's Heart Foundation, which
has distributed more than 3 million pounds of food to impoverished
families around the world. "It's wonderful to see the program
evolving and adapting to become Prudential Emerging Visionaries.
The U.S. is in a critical time where youth leaders are going to be
needed more than ever to guide us into the future, and I know
firsthand that they are key to creating lasting change to societal
and financial issues."
Applications for the program are open now through November 4. Awards are open to
students ages 14-18 in the U.S. Prudential will continue
to operate Spirit of Community in countries where the company has a
significant business presence including Brazil, China, India
and Japan, and will transition to
the new operating model in subsequent program cycles.
For more information about Prudential Emerging Visionaries,
including how to apply, visit
prudential.com/emergingvisionaries.
About Prudential Financial
Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE: PRU), a financial wellness leader
and premier active global investment manager, has operations in
the United States, Asia, Europe
and Latin America. Prudential's
diverse and talented employees help to make lives better by
creating financial opportunity for more people. Prudential's iconic
Rock symbol has stood for strength, stability, expertise and
innovation for more than a century. For more information, please
visit http://news.prudential.com.
About Ashoka
Ashoka is the largest global network of leading social
entrepreneurs—individuals with new ideas to systemically address
the world's biggest challenges and the entrepreneurial skill to
transform those ideas into national, regional and global social
impact. Over 40 years, Ashoka has supported more than 3,600 social
entrepreneurs in 90 countries with solutions addressing society's
most pressing issues. Ashoka's vision is a world in which Everyone
is a Changemaker—a society that responds quickly and effectively to
challenges, and where each individual has the freedom, confidence
and societal support to address any social problem. For more
information, visit ashoka.org.
View original content to download
multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/prudential-financial-seeking-americas-top-youth-visionaries-301372561.html
SOURCE Prudential Financial, Inc.