The World We Imagine Part 3

 The World We Imagine Part 3

Founding Rationale

Have you heard the term "quarter-life crisis"? While people often say your early 20s are the best times in your life, your early 20s are also likely to be filled with many struggles. You are unsure of who you are, what career you would like to pursue, where you are headed, where you belong, and how to navigate college. More notably, you often feel lonely even though you are surrounded by people your age at your college. All these mental struggles combined constitute what people call "quarter-life crisis." What sounds like a silly young-people term comes to actual negative impacts on one's mental health and how we perceive our sense of value and worth in life. In worse cases, young adults tend to experience depression, anxiety, other mental health issues, and in the worst case scenario, suicide. 

I was at the one of the lowest points of life during my second year of college. Even though I knew a lot of people from USC and was actively involved in student organizations, I felt lonelier than ever. Combined with the pressure of recruitment and internship search, I isolated myself in my little dorm room for an entire semester. I barely went to classes, distanced myself from my friends, and spent most of my days sleeping or scrolling through my phone. After I regained my grounds in my junior year, I shared my experienced with my friends. Surprisingly, I learned that so many students experienced the same feelings and mental health struggles as me in that same period. However, none of us knew that we are going through the same thing, so we all kept it to ourselves and went through it alone. 

Recognizing how much our experience would've been better if we were able to empathzie with and support each other's journey in the moment (instead of in hindsight), I wanted to created an organization that help students navigate college, the first time when we are truly away from our family. 

About Quarter-Life People

Quarter-Life People is a social enterprise with the mission to empower and guide young adults in a time when everything feels grey. The organization will operate two activities: mentorship program and peer program. The mentorship program will connect a student in college to a mentor who is no more than 4 years older than themselves based on the student's unique profile. Factors in the profile include ethincity, culture, hobbies, personalities, and stages of where they are in life. A student's stages and what they seek from the mentorship as a result can vary: trying to figure out what career they want to pursue (i.e. sophomores and juniors), settling into college (freshman), actively recruiting for full-time (i.e. seniors), adjusting to post-graduation life (i.e. recent graduates). The mentor will be someone who recently went through siimlar journeys as the student, and they can meet with the student regularly to chat about their experiences and offer advice. The mentorship program is meant to find a middle ground for students who aren't necessarily seeking therapy or career counselling but desire someone who can act as both an in-between support person and big-sister/big-brother friend. 

The peer program is Quarter-Life People's online operation that consists of an open forum and multiple group chats that students can join at their own will to share their thoughts and feelings. Sometimes we are not the most comfortable sharing our deepest thoughts to our close friends due to our fear of being judged. It brings a sense of comfort and optimism to share our negative thoughts with strangers like ourselves who are going through the same thing. 

Why AMDP Should Invest

AMDP should consider investing in Quarter-Life People because the organization aligns with its investment thesis of People in its Triple Bottom Line. The organization identifies unique challenges that young people face nowadays and aims to empower them through a community-based approach. AMDP is a firm that looks for investment opportunities that make our communities better in innovative and creative ways, and Quarter-Life People addresses issues young people face that are often overlooked. With AMDP's financial help, Quarter-Life People can expand nationwide to promote its programs to more colleges and reach more young people who are feeling lost in life. Most of the financing will be invested into hiring mentors who are truly qualified and passionate in lifting others.