January 2009 Hall of Fame
YOURS: Business Incubation Learning Lab for Innovative Teens
Youth Organizing Urban Revitalization Systems (YOURS) is a Baltimore, Maryland based, non-profit organization whose mission is to organize youth as the catalyst for change through the creation of a network of community-owned youth-operated programs serving and benefiting the people of Baltimore.
Q1: What types of businesses would benefit from partnering with this type of model?
Idea Description
YOURS empowers at-risk youth in the city of Baltimore by working alongside youth in and out of school to support their learning and entrepreneurial creativity. Our Business Incubation Learning Labs for Innovative Teens (BILL-IT) program is designed to provide youth with a hands-on experience starting and running a business. The YOURS BILL-IT program has already began to take hold of Baltimore with the launching of the YOURS Store in June, employment of over 30 students to date, in-school partnerships implemented at 3 Baltimore City Public Schools and our after school learning program at the store.
www.bmoreyours.org
www.theyoursstore.com
What will you do if you win $10,000 for this idea?
The Idea challenge will allow YOURS to enhance development of our BILL-IT program in three key areas: PEER MENTORING-for $5,000 The YOURS Store can hire part time peer mentors, increasing the number of out of school learning hours we can provide by over 50%. EQUIPMENT UPRGRADE- for $3,000 we can upgrade our T-Shirt making equipment to accommodate more and bigger orders. For YOURS more business means more resources devoted to education. RESUPPLY-for $2,000 our youth store manager can work with our team of students to develop a budget plan for a supply and inventory purchase. Involving youth in the budgeting and planning process helps increase financial literacy and provides a ownership stake.
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Post a commentI can speak first hand at the tremendous impact this organization has on Baltimore youth. And lord knows Baltimore youth need some positive influences in thier lives. Vote YOURS!
Amazing program that supports Baltimore youth in so many ways and was WAY ahead of the curve with its "Michelle Obama is my first lady" t-shirts. Go Y.O.U.R.S.! -Dr. Sarah Ryan, Baruch College, CUNY
I like your idea; I want to improve your odds of getting funding I will vote for your idea if you will vote for mine. My idea is for a web site that raises money for inventors and entrepreneurs called New Idea website Check out my idea blob submission and visit New Idea Website and see what I can do for you. http://www.ideablob.com/ideas/4060-NEW-IDEA-WEBSITE The need for jobs is one of the biggest problems that a democratic government faces because creating jobs is an unwanted byproduct of business and industry. The reason I say its unwanted is the more jobs a business creates the more its expenses are and the smaller it’s bottom-line. If business and industry have their way they would run their companies with no jobs at all no management or labor. To deal with this dilemma I pr…moreopose a federal venture capital carrot fund that literally pays entrepreneurs to create jobs. The investment bank would be expected invest in seed level startup projects like yours and to lose money at a specified dollar per jobs ratio for example during hard times that figure may be as high as $20,000 per job and good times the figure may be as low as five dollars per job, by controlling this ratio the fed could roughly control unemployment. The bank will be expected to fund novel products and services and stay away from things like restaurants that will simply draw jobs from other restaurants or moving factories from one part of the country to another. If you like this idea vote for it and send the congressional letter from the website. Sincerely Frank Scruggs
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