Judges of the 2010 YouthBridge Social Entrepreneurship and Innovation Competition narrowed the field to seven teams on Jan. 28 after semi-finalists presented their two-minute ‘elevator pitches’. The seven finalists have until April 8 to hone their business plans and prepare presentations for the last round of judging.
“These social entrepreneurs demonstrate how creative individuals are causing lasting social change,” said Ken Harrington, Managing Director of Washington University’s Skandalaris Center, a co-sponsor of the competition. “It is exciting to see high social value for their constituents and communities as well as new approaches to social venture funding.”
Grants totaling $155,000 will be announced at an awards ceremony April 15.
The seven finalists are:
City Greens Produce
City Greens Produce aims to provide access to fresh, local and affordable produce, promote healthy living in the community, provide a space for neighbors to interact and support local Missouri farmers as part of the extended community.
Crafts By Youth–Economic Empowerment for Youth
Washington University students partnered with a Ugandan NGO called UDHA in the summer of 2009 to find a way to economically empower disadvantaged rural youth, primarily young women (ages 16-24). Crafts By Youth is the nonprofit started to sell the environmentally friendly recycled paper bead jewelry produced through the income-generating program.
The Dahlia Partnership
The Dahlia Partnership is dedicated to systemic change through education and advocacy. Utilizing a curriculum, The REAL Skinny, Dahlia will train education professionals how to recognize early signs of eating disorders and provide intervention when necessary.
One Percent Foundation
OPF empowers young adults to become lifelong philanthropists by facilitating engaged, systematic, collective and values-driven giving and participation. OPF Partners pledge to donate at least one percent of their income to philanthropy each year. The Foundation supports organizations in the five broad categories of Education, the Environment, Health, International Aid, and Poverty.
Project GiveChange
Social action platform that facilitates online giving and promotes contributions by reducing opportunity costs, providing incentives, and targeted marketing.
St. Louis Dancing Classrooms
St. Louis Dancing Classrooms(SLDC) is a SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT program aimed at empowering youth, teaching respectful interaction, and promoting teamwork in St. Louis Metropolitan schools. Using the New York-based program (portrayed in Mad Hot Ballroom—currently serves 1,000 schools per year) as a model, SLDC is a 10-week in-school residency targeting 5th grade classrooms.
Twice Blessed Resale Shop
Our Lady’s Inn, a non-profit organization that serves homeless pregnant women and their children opened a resale shop to develop a sustainable revenue stream from excess in-kind donations. The store serves as an employee training program for clients, where they gain valuable work experience, an employer reference, and earn store credits towards purchases. Store opened in May, 2009 in a small storefront donated by a benefactor. It has made a small profit but needs to expand or open another store to meet self-sustaining goals.
Rex Reed, executive director of agency services for YouthBridge congratulated the finalists in this year’s competition, “We are pleased and excited to see how the YSEIC has grown and developed over the years and the impact it’s making in St. Louis. Fostering creative solutions to the area’s societal problems is what we’re about, and the YouthBridge SEIC is the cornerstone of that work.”
Initiated in 2005 as the Social Entrepreneurship & Innovation Competition by the Skandalaris Center, a name change was announced last fall to reflect the on-going commitment of the YouthBridge Community Foundation to the program.
The foundation, which has been a Washington University partner in the YSEIC since its inception, renewed its support last year with an initial three-year commitment of funding and training for non-profit, community-based ventures, totaling nearly half a million dollars.
The YouthBridge SEIC competition is unique in St. Louis and, in terms of monetary awards, is the largest competition of its kind in the U.S. Additional sponsors include the Incarnate Word Foundation, the Lutheran Foundation of St Louis, and the Daughters of Charity Foundation of St Louis.
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