Project management, broadly defined as creating new value by getting things done with others, is an essential skill for aspiring changemakers across all backgrounds.

Historically, students have spearheaded projects that have made significant impacts. For instance, Alexandra Scott started a lemonade stand at age four to raise funds for cancer research, which evolved into a national foundation and raised millions for pediatric cancer research. Malala, while still in high school, became an international advocate for girls’ education in Pakistan, earning the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014. These examples underscore why project management should be an integral component of a holistic education.

Despite its value to millions of students, project management is not a subject taught at schools. This book aims to bridge that gap by presenting real project stories from student leaders around the world.

Case studies are proven tools for learning project management, developing leadership skills, and exploring diverse problem-solving solutions. By sharing real stories of student-led projects, this book seeks to inspire changemakers of all ages.

The primary purpose of this book is to inspire and empower student leaders by showcasing real-life stories of collaboration, innovation, and impact.

Specifically, this book aims to:

• Share Diverse Perspectives: Present a variety of voices of youth leaders from different cultures, backgrounds, and educational institutions.

• Reframe Project Success: Challenge traditional project success metrics by shifting emphasis from time/cost/scope to value creation and sustainability.

• Encourage Engagement: Motivate other students to initiate meaningful projects that serve their communities or promote the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

We hope anyone can find the book inspiring and fun.

Our target audience includes:

• Students and Young Leaders: Individuals interested in leadership, social change, and sustainability.

• Educators and Institutions: Universities and schools looking to inspire students to take action on global issues. Educators seeking case studies for courses on project management and leadership.

• NGOs, Nonprofits, Scouts/Youth Cadet Organizations: Groups and organizations focused on youth leadership and sustainable development.

• General Readers: Anyone interested in stories of young change-makers and the impact of youth-led initiatives.

Youth under the age 24 are encouraged to contribute an essay to this book. 

Tell your project story, showcase your team success, share your leadership insights, and inspire millions of aspiring changemakers worldwide.

1,200-1,500 words

We look for stories of projects that bring meaningful value to our society and world, big or small, local or international. We particularly welcome stories of projects that connect to the United Nation’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals.

You may use the following topics for brainstorming purposes:

• How did I build and sustain strong sponsorship throughout a project?

• With extremely limited resources, how did I complete my project without handling everything myself?

• How did I organize my team for maximum creativity, flexibility, and success?

• How did I keep people focused while maintaining high morale?

• How did I manage communication and foster teamwork in a project with geographically dispersed members?

• How did I create realistic project schedules?

• What was the best way I found to balance resources and expectations?

• How did I ensure all team members had the necessary information to perform their tasks?

• What strategies did I find effective for managing changes to the project expectations, budget, or timeline in the middle of a project?

• How did I establish control when taking over a project that I hadn’t planned?

• What steps did I take to conclude a project successfully and appropriately?

• How did I encourage project contributors to engage in project retrospective analysis?

The review of essay proposals will begin immediately. Please submit your book essay proposal by December 31, 2024, for best consideration. After that date, the proposals will be reviewed and accepted on a rolling basis.

The proposal should include:
• Essay summary (between 250 and 300 words)
• Author information (full name, email address, grade, school name, state, country)
• Author bio (50-words)

All submitted proposals will be reviewed by certified project management professionals (PMPs).

Below is a tentative publication timeline.

• Essay proposals submitted before December 31, 2024 will be given priority. After that date, essay proposals will be reviewed and accepted on a rolling basis.
• Proposal acceptance will be notified within two weeks after submission.
• Final essay drafts are due on June 1, 2025.
• The book will be released by the end of 2025.

Any youth who submit an essay proposal will access robust resources to make the publication experience engaging and rewarding.

You will be enrolled in an online, self-paced course, Project Management for Youth. Created by the founder of PM Ready, this course introduces fundamental project management concepts and terminologies. Master this knowledge will help you write an essay focusing on the project management perspective. Besides, completing the course will earn you a certificate on project management. The course will also help you take the Project Management Ready certification exam.

You will receive feedback from project management professionals who volunteer to read your essay proposal and your essay draft. The feedback will guide you in completing the essay draft.  They will also create discussion prompts for your essay, which will make our book suitable as a textbook or a training guide.

Professional editing service will also be provided for you. 

Last but not least, prospective authors are invited to join PM Ready's Global Ambassador Team and work collaboratively on PM Ready's mission of empowering youth leadership with project management.