DURHAM, N.C., Feb. 22, 2020 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- eMerging
Entrepreneurs, Inc. is excited to announce that its youth STEM and
entrepreneurship platform, known as the Urban Leadership Lab, was
voted to receive a Participatory Budgeting grant to fund the launch
of its technology and business education programs in Durham's downtown district. A non-profit
provider of startup, leadership, and science, technology,
engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education, eMerging
Entrepreneurs has made a commitment to enroll at least 500 teens
within the project's first year; providing local students with
opportunities to develop the entrepreneurial and computational
thinking skills to become leaders in today's digital,
technology-driven economy.
In March of 2019, eMerging Entrepreneurs proposed the creation
of a city-wide educational initiative that would not only introduce
young people to the excitement of STEM learning, but would equip
them with the business skills to become future leaders and
innovators in the science-based industries of tomorrow. The
organization submitted its concept via the The City of Durham's Participatory Budgeting (PB)
community impact grant competition, a program in which the City
Council allocated $2.4 million
dollars to implement 40 of the nearly 500 project proposals
submitted across the three city wards. The Participatory Budgeting
process is designed to equip residents with the democratic power to
choose how their local government's resources are being used to
impact their communities; from improving sidewalks and pedestrian
crossings, to the development of technologies and systems to expand
Wi-Fi access. eMerging Entrepreneurs is thrilled to announce that
not only did the residents of Ward-1 vote for its youth program to
be implemented in cycle-1 of city's PB process, but the City
Council voted unanimously in favor of awarding $99,121 to support the development of the
educational platform, which will be launched in the summer of this
year.
"We're thankful for having been entrusted with this award and
are committed to making access to these kinds of learning
opportunities available to young people across downtown
Durham, particularly those
communities of students who are underrepresented in STEM
education," says T.J. Breeden, Founder and Executive Director of
eMerging Entrepreneurs, Inc. "Our goal has been to not only make
STEM learning environments more inclusive and diverse, but to
integrate entrepreneurial education as a way of challenging our
youth to become the next generation of tech-preneurs and job
creators! This grant and the expansion of our programs across
downtown Durham will allow us to
do just that."
About eMerging Entrepreneurs:
eMerging Entrepreneurs, Inc. is a North
Carolina-based 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that works
to advance the small business, educational, and economic welfare of
communities whose interests are under-served; specifically, our
nation's military families, women, urban youth, and minority
populations. To date, the organization has reached over 10,000
veterans, minorities, and youth, with its Founder having received a
number national endorsements, ranging from former President Obama's
"Champions of Change" Award and being named the Small Business
Administration's "Veterans Entrepreneurship Advocate of the Year,"
to receiving Radio One's "Cathy Hughes Community Service" Award,
and the "Dr. John Hope Franklin Humanitarian of the Year" Award. In
2015, eMerging Entrepreneurs launched its Urban Leadership Lab, a
tech and startup incubator designed to provide K-12 youth with
access to the kinds of resources that will help them unlock the
full capacity of their social and intellectual potential. The
following year, the organization was invited by the Obama
Administration's Office of Technology Policy to publish its 2016
educational commitment alongside over 200 other institutions as
part of the White House's "Computer Science for All" (CSforAll)
initiative. The organization has continued its annual commitment to
the (now privately led) CSforAll platform as an educational
services provider, and to date, over 1,800 youth have engaged the
Urban Leadership Lab via traditional and web-based learning
environments.
STEM Meets Entrepreneurship:
"The Urban Leadership Lab introduces young people to not only
robotics and drone-flight education, but provides them with the
tools to explore who they can become," says Tivon Madison, the organization's STEM
Coordinator. Mr. Madison; a Veteran of the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers and an experienced Network Engineer; also serves as the
NC Director of Infinite Scholars, a non-profit organization that
connects high school students to tens of millions of dollars in
scholarship opportunities each year. "It begins with access. Once
kids have been introduced to these sorts of opportunities, it
ignites something inside of them that could change the entire
trajectory of their lives! That's why the pairing of business and
tech is so important because it helps them to see how what they're
learning in the classroom, can be applied outside of it."
Taught in both traditional and web-based environments, the "Tech
Lab" (the STEM division of the Urban Leadership Lab) introduces
young people to a range of interactive learning opportunities in
science and technology, from LEGO MINDSTORMS® robotics education to
online coding. Conversely, the "Startup Lab" teaches students the
core elements of creating, building, and operating a successful
business, while also placing an emphasis on leadership and
financial literacy. The entrepreneurship program is conducted via
traditional classroom-style workshops and the organization's
e-Launch™ Academy, which is an online, asynchronous educational
platform powered by EdX and Teachable.com. Each cohort aims to
bridge the gap between traditional learning, entrepreneurship, and
technology, by challenging students to create (and launch)
innovative, solutions-oriented business concepts.
Achieving Diversity Through Collaboration:
The organization is actively exploring partnerships with youth
centers, non-profits, public schools, and faith-based organizations
to form a network of learning labs across downtown Durham. "Establishing labs in neighborhoods
across Ward-1 will hopefully stretch our reach into communities
that haven't had access to these kinds of educational
opportunities," Mr. Breeden says. "Proximity is key! As a doctoral
student whose current research is centered around diversity in STEM
education, I find myself constantly examining the social
disparities that disproportionately impact access and inclusion
within certain segments of our education system; a condition I
believe can be combatted through the proper alignment of public and
private interests. Coming together with like-minded partners; each
doing all they can to push this effort forward; I believe will not
only advance equity but ultimately could help to make an emerging
sector of our economy more socially and culturally diverse."
The team at eMerging Entrepreneurs is eager to get started and
are optimistic about the impact they can create! "Our program
centers around a very simple belief: that access to technology
education, coupled with entrepreneurial thinking, is the key to
helping our youth explore the full range of career possibilities
that lie ahead of them," Mr. Breeden says. "If we can create the
opportunities and serve as a viable point of access, then we can
begin the hard work of preparing our young men and women to lead
the next wave of tech, social, and business innovations!"
For more information on eMerging Entrepreneurs, Inc., its
mission, or to explore partnership opportunities, please visit:
http://www.eMerginginc.org. Details regarding Durham's Participatory Budgeting grant program
can be found by visiting: http://www.pbdurham.org.
SOURCE eMerging Entrepreneurs, Inc.