Bombardier Transportation announced Monday, July 29, 2013, its sponsorship of The Millennial Trains Project (MTP).
Founded in 2012, MTP leads crowdfunded transcontinental train journeys to empower enterprising and civic-minded Millennials, aged 18 to 34, to advance new ideas that benefit local communities. The sponsorship will support the inaugural MTP train journey across the U.S. from August 8 through 17.
During stops in San Francisco, Salt Lake City, Denver, Omaha, Chicago, Pittsburgh, and Washington, D.C., 20 Millennial entrepreneurs will execute projects of their own design that benefit, serve and inspire others in each locality, Bombardier says.
During the course of the 10-day journey, MTP participants will explore innovative solutions for sustainable transportation, renewable energy technologies, and improving access to higher education, among others.
“What pioneering aspirations and initiatives will define our generation? This question is the driving force behind The Millennial Trains Project,” said Patrick Dowd, CEO and founder of The Millennial Trains Project. “Long before the Internet brought the world to our fingertips, trains served as vehicles of discovery, connection, and economic opportunity. On a train journey this August, with the support of Bombardier, a group of Millennials will explore what it means to be a pioneer in the digital age by breaking new ground and connecting with diverse communities across the country.”
“Just as Bombardier is creating better ways to move the world with its groundbreaking rail products and services, MTP participants will be generating and implementing better ways to move the world through their individual projects,” said Robert Furniss, vice president, Bombardier Transportation North America. “What better way to connect with and learn from each other, and with communities across the country, than on a train journey? We look forward to learning from the insights of MTP’s young entrepreneurs.”
The Millennial Trains Project is described as “a non-profit organization that leads crowdfunded transcontinental train journeys to empower diverse groups of Millennials to explore America’s new frontiers. Over the course of a ten day train journey, MTP helps participants and virtual audiences to identify, evaluate, and explore new opportunities and challenges in the communities where our trains stop—and advance a project that benefits, serves, and inspires others.” The inspiration for MTP comes from a similar train journey, the Jagriti Yatra, that founder Patrick Dowd helped lead as a 2010-11 Fulbright Scholar in India. Follow the Millennial Trains Project across the nation this August by visiting www.millennialtrain.co, Twitter and Facebook.
(“Crowdfunding” is defined as “the collective effort of individuals who network and pool their money, usually via the Internet, to support efforts initiated by other people or organizations. Crowdfunding is used in support of a wide variety of activities, including disaster relief, citizen journalism, support of artists by fans, political campaigns, startup company funding, motion picture promotion, free software development, inventions development, scientific research, and civic projects.”)