• 2007: AYO developed a thirty-six week entrepreneurship program, which included business and technology curriculums.
• February 2008: sixteen students, ages twelve to nineteen successfully completed the Tiger Woods Start Something Program.
• May 14 – 17, 2008: In collaboration with Dayton Design Technology High School, AYO took twelve 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 program would be good for the Dayton Public Schools.

• August 2011: The Action Youth Outreach formally becomes the Youth Entrepreneurship Development Foundation. With this change, the foundation began to broaden the curriculum and focus on the mind, body and spirit of the student.
• October 27, 2011, The Foundation received a partnership offer from NASA to improve our after school STEM training.
• The Youth Entrepreneurship Development Foundations programs help 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.

• 2012-2013: New staff and volunteers are brought on board to help plan and launch the four modules at the three participating Dayton Public Schools.

VISION: A time when more African American youth and families are empowered to start, and successfuly 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 consider entrepreneurship as a career option.

WHAT WE BELIEVE: We believe that by teaching youth the value of education, how to manage their resources – time, talent and money – they are enabled them to develop the skills necessary to become successful participants within the economic system.

The YEDFoundation has recently received a two-year collaborative agreement with NASA to incorporate the NASA BEST Student’s engineering curriculum into our entrepreneurship program. NASA provides training for our staff and teachers, leads a funding development team in seeking grants and in-kind support from other supporters.

Please support the YEDFoundation and Donate Today to further our mission, vision and goals!

At YEDF, we depend upon the combined energy of individuals, government agencies, organizations, foundations, and companies to help us fulfill accomplish our mission. Partnering with YEDF is an opportunity to support some of the future leaders of America. Partner will receive:

• Increase visibility for your organizations work and expertise
• Gain opportunities to work with other partners from all sectors
• Discover new synergies and ways to leverage your work for greater impact
• Affiliate with a credible movement that has effective and highly visible leadership
• Inform and influence public policy
• Share in the Alliances collective progress and impact

Partnership Opportunities – We all have a stake in the future of our young people. We believe that we all share a responsibility for preparing them for success.

• General Giving Opportunities: Donations to YEDF General Fund are fast-tracked to the areas of most urgent need; for this reason, we request the majority of our corporate and individual donors to donate to our general fund.
• Specific Youth Sponsorship Opportunities: Sponsoring students from specific schools, organizations and churches can bring a unique sense of ownership to a donor. Specific Youth Sponsorship Partnerships may be made on behalf of an individual or group, such as a company, church or foundation, and involve cash or in-kind donations to a particular YEDF service or event.

In-Kind Support In-kind Giving of Services and Technology: YEDF welcomes in-kind contributions in the form of services or equipment. In-kind donations are invaluable in their ability to help our organization operate more efficiently. In some situations, in-kind contributions may even allow us to provide new and improved services (such as Website Design, On-line Learning, Transportation, Special training workshops, etc, etc.

MISSION: To empower African American youth and families to become entrepreneurs. This will be accomplished by youth Entrepreneurship training, motivating students to dream and by exposing them to successful businesses.

GOAL: 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 develop the skills of students. By teaching youth the value of education, how to manage their resources , time, talent and money they are enabled to develop the skills necessary to become successful participants within the economic system.

People volunteer for a wide variety of reasons, mostly because of the desire 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. Today you may be the person with the ability to help, but tomorrow you may be the recipient of someone elses 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. 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

We provide youth entrepreneurship training. The AYO entrepreneurship training can be fun for youth – but beyond the fun, students can achieve very positive results. By learning how academic skills connects to business opportunities and hopes for success, students can be motivated to work harder and stay in school. The AYO program:

1. Create employment opportunities when students start new businesses.
2. Allow at-risk-youth the opportunity to succeed regardless of their background
3. Promote social and culture identity
4. Builds a stronger sense of community
5. Give youth a sense of meaning and     belonging

WHY YOUTH ENTREPRENEURSHIP TRAINING

Entrepreneurship training is a key driver of our economy. Wealth and a high majority of jobs are created by small businesses started by entrepreneurially minded individuals, many of whom go on to create big businesses. People exposed to entrepreneurship frequently express that they have more opportunity to exercise creative freedoms, higher self esteem, and an overall greater sense of control over their own lives. As a result, many experienced business people political leaders, economists, and educators believe that fostering a robust entrepreneurial culture will maximize individual and collective economic and social success on a local, national, and global scale. It is with this in mind that the National Standards for Entrepreneurship Education were developed: to prepare youth and adults to succeed in an entrepreneurial economy.

Benefits of Entrepreneurship Training - The Consortium for Entrepreneurship Education -sponsored Think Tank recently worked on group consensus about the different outcomes for entrepreneurship programs at various levels of education.

The Think Tank is a voluntary “future thinking” group composed of a wide selection of educators who are practitioners in a variety of settings, educational levels, and locations throughout the US and beyond. While the results are not based on formal scientific research, they are provided here for the purposes of discussion and orientation to the concepts underlying the National Content Standards for Entrepreneurship Education.

Benefits to Students

• Increased sense of “locus of control”
• Consider steps in business startup
• Continue on to high school and college
• Improved academic skills
• Increased self-esteem and respect
• Heightened awareness of the role of entrepreneurs
• Decrease in teen pregnancies and substance abuse
• Improved financial literacy
• Identify legitimate sources of capital
• Evaluate ownership structures
• Translate problems into opportunities
• Demonstrate financial management
• Use components of a business plan

The Challenges Facing At-Risk-Youth A recent Annie E. Casey Foundation report estimates that “4.3 million youth in this country have not progressed beyond a high school diploma and are neither employed nor enrolled in postsecondary education. Youth experiencing this “disconnection” from the economic mainstream make up nearly 15% of all 18-24 year olds, and illustrate the magnitude of a national “opportunity divide” that is getting worse. Compounding the problem is the fact that most new jobs, and virtually all that offer wages sufficient to support a family, require at least some education and training beyond high school, even at the entry-level (Carnevale and Reich 2000). Even one year of postsecondary education increases lifetime earnings by 5 to 15 percent per year. The result is a dual class economy where the people that stand to benefit the most from higher education and career opportunities find it hardest to do so. Without proper guidance and opportunities, these young adults will continue to face enormous challenges in transitioning from high school to higher education and family-supporting careers.

At the same time, the country’s fastest growing demographic groups (Latinos and African Americans) are receiving comparatively less education. 29% of Latinos and 15% of African Americans drop out of high school. As a result, a growing number of low-income, minority youth leave high school lacking either the credentials and/or the skills to advance toward a college degree-essentially guaranteeing that they will struggle to earn a family-supporting income in today’s economy. Many will enter college only to become discouraged and drop out; others will cycle in and out of job training and adult education programs, never getting beyond low-paying jobs with little prospect of advancement. Without proper guidance and opportunities, these young adults will continue to face enormous challenges in transitioning from high school to achievement in successful careers and higher education.

MEETING THE CHALLENGES – AYO Youth Entrepreneurship Training help at-risk-youth meet the challenges by planting the seed of entrepreneurship in their mind. Mr. Jones recognizes that many at-risk youth are from families households that do not have entrepreneurship experiences or training and therefore, entrepreneurship awareness must be offered from sources such as the AYO after school entrepreneurship training.

Volunteering means something different to everyone, but it’s always worth the effort. Today, millions of people are helping to make a difference in their neighborhoods and across the nation by lending their time and compassion.

Volunteers connect people to hope and offer a new chance to build a stronger community. It usually starts with a single act of kindness, but it often leads to a lifetime of enriching experiences.

The Foundation is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) corporation, Youth Entrepreneurship and STEM Service Provider, which provides after school Entrepreneurship and STEM training to youth ages 8-19.

I am grateful for the opportunity to contribute my time, skills and dollars to help the Foundation deliver quality after school entrepreneurship and STEM training to underserved youth. In 1965, while serving in Viet-Nam, I witnessed kids struggling to survive in poor and depressed environments, kids were used by adults to commit criminal acts even when these activities put the kids in danger. In 1998, while lecturing in Jamaica, West Indies, to adults and kids during a Christian Leadership Training Mission, again there were adults and kids that were under nourished, and fearful that they were trapped in a devastating environment. Each environment was much worse than the environment of the Georgia farm where I grew up. Yet, they had HOPE and FAITH that one day they would have a better life

Alliance Development to support youth after school training

The Foundation is seeking partnerships with government agencies, institutions and major corporations to support our after school youth development training programming. We believe that meaning dialogs between interested parties will result in the development of short and long term goals which will benefit all participants.

If you want to make a difference in the lives of at-risk youth, then we want you on our team. We are actively recruiting volunteers now for our year-round classes.

Individuals: May participate as Guest Speakers

Share learning on industry topics such as Entrepreneurship, E-Commerce, Leadership, and other interest areas. Time Commitment: One hour session.

Job Coaches: Assist with job preparation including resume writing and mock interviewing. Time Commitment: 1-2 hours. Colleges Advisors: Assist with the application process, including writing essays and financial aid forms. Time Commitment: 1-2 hours per week.

Curriculum Advisors: Work one-on-one with students learning technical skills (e.g. Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, and HTML). Time Commitment: In person, by phone, or by email 2+ hours per week for 3-6 months.

Instructors: Teach the Youth Entrepreneurship Training Curriculum as a member of our learning team. Time Commitment: 2-3 days per week.

Company Tours: Allow students to visit your businesses and let them shadow your employees for an afternoon, or give them a tour of your business