Siblings Taha and Omar Bawa know that young Millenials and Gen Z-ers live in an ever-changing technological world. More and more, resources for everything from mental health to education and jobs happen virtually.
So, they created a new way to help young innovators use technology to their advantage: Goodwall, a job and scholarship platform for anyone from high school to college graduates.
“We’ve grown up inspired to create meaningful impact and we’ve grown up with the tools and technology to do so,” the brothers write. “Our vehicle to achieve our vision is Goodwall.”
Goodwall targets the demographic that LinkedIn misses
Goodwall is a platform similar to LinkedIn, but it caters to a younger demographic. It also allows for various types of posts, including questions, ideas, achievements, and fun layouts for a resume. The site encourages graphic and video messages on the profiles. Plus, the app contains a repository of jobs and scholarship all over the world, as well as courses.
Goodwall partners with universities that users can match with based on grades, location preferences, and interests. They also work with employers offering internships and job opportunities to these young innovators and entrepreneurs.
The team is currently spread out in five countries: the US, Switzerland, Germany, Serbia, and the Philippines. “Our differences are our strength,” reads Goodwall’s site. “Our team comes from a diversity of backgrounds and walks of life, but share a common mission and vision to guide as many people to become the best versions of themselves and reach their full potential, starting with ourselves.”
In addition to diverse opportunities and team, Goodwill boasts funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program for the unique targeting the service provides.
The Bawa Brothers come from a family of hard workers
Goodwall’s founders are brothers Taha and Omar Bawa. “We grew up aware of the challenges our world faces,” they write. “We learned to see the world as a whole, not as countries separated by borders.”
The Bawa brothers’ father was born in Sri Lanka, and was the first in their family to attend university after a childhood full of hard work. He worked his way up to working with the UNCHR, while their mother worked with the Global Fund in the fight against HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria. The brothers grew up travelling and exposed to the issues of the world around them. This awakened the “entrepreneurial bug” in them at a young age.
Goodwall has already helped connect young people to opportunities and community
The Goodwall app is easy to navigate, combining the best features of familiar platforms such as LinkedIn, Quora, and TikTok. It strays away from the typical plaintext layout and instead aims to help the user demonstrate themselves in whatever format they find best.
One of the most attractive features of Goodwall are the partnerships and opportunities available though the platform. There are more than 5 million jobs and internships posted currently, more than $1 million in scholarships, and a myriad of volunteering opportunities and courses as well.
Ishita G. wrote in their review “I was honored to be part of the prestigious Yale Young Global Scholars Program, 2019 with [a] full scholarship from Goodwall[.] Truly, the best 2 weeks of my life I could ask for.” This is not the only review that mentions a scholarship connection, and they all praise Goodwall’s supportive community and ease of use.
Check out Goodwall here.
