“Seven years ago, I dreamed of creating a social enterprise that could help young people like me.” Julia Naw founder of YounSone
Why ?
Young people in my country are looking for work to earn money and survive. But the problem is that we aspire to work in big companies that sometimes don’t care about the future of our planet. We poor people struggle to make money but we don’t care about the environment and we contribute to destroying the planet without even knowing it. For example, many work in the mining industry or in unethical companies.
Furthermore, women have even fewer opportunities for education and employment. They are even more marginalized. Many of them migrate illegally to work and take up dangerous jobs or become victims of human trafficking.
In the search for a better life, we have also lost our culture and tradition to modernization, which is causing climate change, which is making the poor poorer.
How did I start YounSone?
I am part of the international Fondacio movement which aims to build a more human and just world. The training I received at Fondacio helped me realize my dream.
I was first a trainer at our Young Life Development Center (YLDC) training center in Yangon. The YLDC enables them to acquire basic skills so that they can start looking for work. However, they find it difficult to find a job. This is why I wanted to create a social enterprise around sustainable fashion. It aims to provide livelihood opportunities for young people, especially women. I started training myself and others in basic sewing and tailoring. I worked with young people and many other people to create YounSone.
YounSone means “colorful” in Burmese language. This expresses the diversity of cultures, ethnic groups, ages, religions and origins of people and aims to create a synergy allowing a living together respectful of all.
What is the goal
YounSone’s goal is to provide young people with skills to empower them without destroying the environment, while remaining true to their culture and traditions.
It’s about developing income for young people by producing sustainable fashion products that we sell locally and in Europe.
I firmly believe that to take care of the environment, I have to go back to my roots, to learn from the wisdom of the natives, where our culture and traditions live in harmony with nature.
Thus, YounSone products are developed with the aim of bridging the gap between rich and poor, between modern and traditional, between people and the earth.
Since the start of the Covid19 crisis, YounSone has started making masks that you can order here: https://www.helloasso.com/associations/fondacio/collectes/masques-ethiques-et-solidaires
