Youth Entrepreneurship and Social Enterprise

Social enterprise leverages an interest in business and entrepreneurship to nurture young people’s skills, harness their creativity to solve community problems, develop career pipelines, and create stronger, more resilient communities. Entrepreneurship programs help youth start their own businesses, develop paths out of poverty, and support local economic development. 

The Center’s social enterprise model engages participants in paid, on-site internships in a variety of fields, including technology, design, and urban planning, from which they have historically been excluded. Young people develop and implement social impact brands and projects, along the way gaining an understanding from business experts of what it takes to be an entrepreneur.

In Red Hook, Brooklyn, youth launched The Connected Village, a social impact enterprise that sought to raise awareness around mental health in communities of color. In Brownsville, Brooklyn, the annual B Live social enterprise leverages the arts to promote community healing through placemaking and events that bring the community together, build connection, and advocate for justice.