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COVID-19 has thrown a wrench into many plans and important gatherings. Companies and organizations across the globe have had to adjust their plans for 2020 with the spread of the virus and the reactions of leaders worldwide. The Young Living Essential Oils convention for 2020 was one of those events that couldn’t take place in person and Young Living shifted plans to meet restrictions without letting down participants. With travel restricted and many cities facing gathering size bans, the convention wasn’t feasible for the thousands of distributors that normally attend.
Young Living set up a Virtual International Grand Convention platform to host the ONE2020 Young Living Essential Oils Virtual International Grand Convention. The convention offered exclusive workshops, sessions and company information to the distributors attending. One of the focuses for the 2020 convention was the D. Gary Young, Young Living Foundation and it’s work with youth. The convention announced the areas where the program was expanding and encouraged support for the goals in supporting youth.
The ONE2020 convention highlighted the mission of the foundation and raised $1.2 million for the work done for youth all over the world. The company also announced the new oil blend, One Heart, that will support the foundation through 35% of wholesale profits. The oil was created to bring focus to the mission and awareness to the vulnerabilities of youth in local and international communities.
With a virtual convention, getting participation and excitement can be a challenge that some organizations have struggled to achieve. In 2019, the 25th annual Young Living Essential Oils International Grand Convention was held in Salt Lake City, Utah. This convention brought in tens of thousands of people as one of the cities largest events. But with the wave of the current coronavirus regulations, the convention planners had to be creative and amplify the message on a virtual platform to remove viewers all over the globe.
The online event was a huge success for the company. They were able to raise money and awareness for their focus cause, the One Heart mission. The D. Gary Young, Young Living Foundation will spend time and money moving forward on expanding their existing partnerships and forming new outreach opportunities. Their current list of projects includes:
Cities Without Hunger: Working to end poor nutrition and hunger, the organization will support food projects, like turning empty spaces into community gardens within Brazil. The newest garden for a school should provide fresh produce for over 800 people.
Escalera: A scholarship program within Chiapas (Mexico’s poorest state) helps youth learn and stay in school longer. Currently, less than half of children in Chiapas get past the 9th grade because of economical concerns within their family.
Goals for Girls: Empowering the youth of tomorrow is key and this organization works with girls through the form of a soccer program. Goals for Girls teaches leadership, teamwork and communication skills to girls throughout the US, India and South Africa.
Hope for Justice: This organization works to end the trafficking of girls all over the world. They started with partnerships in Cambodia, Ethiopia and Uganda, but plan to expand to the US, Australia and Europe in 2020. The goal is to tackle the root cause of trafficking and help survivors move towards a bright future.
Healing Faith Uganda: The entire continent of Africa faces a continual malaria attack that kills a person nearly every minute. Within the hotspot of Uganda, malaria hits the population hard and the Healing Faith organization is working to reduce the reach of the deadly disease. This includes education on health, increased testing and access to treatments.
Rebuild Nepal: Earthquakes in 2015 are still having a major impact on families that lost everything. Most lost homes and businesses, with no way to rebuild. The foundation is working with teams to build dependable and secure housing within the region.
Sole Hope: Jiggers are tiny bugs that cause crippling pain and disease in communities across the world. Uganda has been hit hard and Sole Hope works to provide education, offer treatment and spark awareness for this issue that plagues people all over the world.
Young Living Academy: Filling the need of a small town within Ecuador, the Young Living Academy has been providing youth with educational opportunities since 2009.
The foundation operates with three main pillars that guide its missions:
• Championing Education
• Developing Enterprise
• Ending Exploitation
In order to support the missions guided by these goals, the D. Gary Young, Young Living Foundation raises money through a variety of fundraisers, like Ride for a Reason and Young Living Foundation service trips. They also increase their funds with donations from the annual International Grand Convention, personal donors and sales of the new One Hope oil.
The website www.younglivingfoundation.org and virtual convention hub are two ways the foundation is working to support the community in the wake of COVID. The $1.2 million raised during the virtual Young Living convention will help these missions. Distributors and company leaders are excited about the program expansions and potential for impacting communities worldwide.
