About Us
Our Background- AYO began in May 2004 with a grant from the Iddings Family Foundation to launch the Tiger Woods Start Something Program. Using the Tiger Woods Start Something Program as a teaching and training tool, the AYO programming quickly grew in response to the high demand for youth after school mentoring and entrepreneurship training.
- In 2007, AYO developed a 36 week entrepreneurship program, which includes business and technology curriculums. The Youth Entrepreneurship program helps bridge the gap between academics and real world entrepreneurial experience with a supportive environment that includes local business advisors and mentors. In collaboration with local businesses during our 48 week entrepreneurship training we motivate students to stay in school, stay out of trouble and visit local businesses and institutions, which would otherwise be impossible.
- February 2008 16 student’s ages 12-19 successfully complete the Tiger Woods Start Something Program
- May 14 – 17, 2008, in collaboration with Dayton Design Technology high School we took 12 students and three adults to the Black Enterprise Conference in Charlotte, NC. This conference provided the youth EXPOSURE and the opportunity to have an interaction with other youth and business executives.
- September 2008, Dr. Kurt Stanic, Superintendent Dayton Public Schools received a presentation of the AYO Youth Entrepreneurship Training Program and stated that the AYO Youth Entrepreneurship after school training program would be good for the Dayton Public Schools.
VISION: A time when more African American youth and families are empowered to start, and successful manage their own business.
 MISSION: The mission is to empower African American youth and families to become entrepreneurs. This will be accomplished by youth Entrepreneurship training, motivations to dream and by exposing them to successful businesses.
 GOAL: The goal is to plant the seeds of entrepreneurship in the minds of youth, encourage them to stay in school and to consider entrepreneurship as a career option.
 WHAT WE BELIEVE: We believe that Youth Entrepreneurship Training and Exposure are effective ways to reverse the above trends, and by teaching youth the value of education, how to manage their resources – time, talent and money – enables them to develop the skills necessary to become successful participants within the economic system.
Parents – Parents are required to participate in the AYO training process. AYO initially recruits parents follow by a detail parent orientation. If the parents believe the AYO after school training would help their kids, they are invited to complete the intake process.
Volunteers and Volunteering – People volunteer for a wide variety of reasons, especially wanting to help others. Some people are uncomfortable with the notion that a volunteer “benefits” from doing volunteer work. There is a long tradition of seeing volunteering as a form of charity, based on altruism and selflessness. The best volunteering does involve the desire to serve others, but this does not exclude other motivations, as well.
Instead of considering volunteering as something you do for people who are not as fortunate as yourself, begin to think of it as an exchange.
Consider that most people find themselves in need at some point in their lives. So today you may be the person with the ability to help, but tomorrow you may be the recipient of someone else’s volunteer effort. Even now you might be on both sides of the service cycle: maybe you are a tutor for someone who can’t read, while last month the volunteer ambulance corps rushed you to the emergency room. Volunteering also includes “self-help.” So if you are active in your neighborhood crime watch, your home is protected while you protect your neighbors’ homes, too. Adding your effort to the work of others makes everyone’s lives better
