eye for change fact sheet

8/9/2019 Eye for Change Fact Sheet

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EYE FOR CHANGEENGAGING YOUTH ENTREPRENEURS FOR CHANGE

2015 SPONSORSHIP PACKET

About EYE for ChangeEngaging Youth Entrepreneurs for

Change is a youth led 501(c) (3) not for profitorganization dedicated to empowering youthto transform their lives and communities

through entrepreneurial skill building.

HistoryIn 2005 as graduation loomed, Natasha

Muhammad, Founder of EYE for Change, stillhad no idea what she wanted to do upongraduation. Throughout undergrad, shevolunteered at local high schools teachingkids entrepreneurship. This experiencesparked her idea to create her own businessto continue teaching young peopleentrepreneurship. #EYECON, the annualyouth entrepreneurship conference, was the

perfect way to engage the youth inentrepreneurial skill building, something thatwas not being taught in the classrooms.

"I tried to come up with something thatwould be fun and at the same timeeducational for kids, and the first thing that

popped into my head was a field trip! Whatcould be better than a field trip to a collegecampus where kids could see what thecampus life was like and learn aboutentrepreneurship!"

In partnership with the EntrepreneurialDevelopment and Assistance Center (EDAC)at Morgan State University, #EYECON isembarking on its tenth year. #EYECON hasbecome a staple among the Baltimore andsurrounding communities, providing youthwith much needed exposure and skill buildingto start their own businesses.

MissionEmpower and prepare youth to become

competitive in a global economy throughentrepreneurial skill building.

Quick Facts

Founded 2007

Structure 501c3

Funds Awarded to Youth $35k

Average # Youth Served p/yr. 567

Gabrielle, owner of Jewelz of Jordan, sellsher handmade jewelry at #EYECON.


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WORKSHOPS

Money TreesHere students compete in a mini

business plan competition and put theirideas to the test. Students gather theirfriends to form their company,compose a mini business plan andpitch their ideas to investors. The teamswith the best pitch and business planwill win cash prizes.

Round of APP-LAUSEStudents love to play games. Whetherits Candy Crush or Minecraft. Herestudents are challenged to be thecreators of apps and the audience willgive a Round of APP-LAUSE forparticipants that build the next mobileapplication. In this workshop, studentslearn how to create, build, publish andsell apps.

Overview

ObjectiveThe objective of #EYECON is to

encourage youth to pursue

entrepreneurship as career option andemploy anentrepreneurial

attitude to excel andremain competitive inthe workforce.#EYECON is a playon the word icon

and EYE conference. Youth will bechallenged to be the image andsymbol of excellence inentrepreneurship. We will infuse

Science, Technology, Engineering, andMathematics (STEM) withentrepreneurship.

The innovative workforce of thefuture will require our young people todemonstrate skill and expertise when

pursing careers in STEM andentrepreneurship. Our aim is to makesure youth understand the importanceof STEM and pursue entrepreneurialendeavors in the field.

This year marks the ten yearanniversary of #EYECON.

Workshops#EYECON features eight one hour

workshops. All workshops run

simultaneously. Students can choosethree workshops to attend during theconference. Our workshops focus on

starting a business, making smartdecisions with money and developingleadership skills.

MarketplaceAt the marketplace, hundreds of

students will have the opportunity tointeract with various vendors and real

youth entrepreneurs. This allowsstudents the opportunity to network,ask questions and be inspired by theirpeers who have already started theirown venture. Vendors and exhibitors

will display their products and servicesfor the duration of the conference.*View the entire #EYECON agenda atwww.eyeforchange.org

LuncheonThe luncheon is the culminating

segment of the conference. Allparticipants will gather in the main

ballroom for delicious food, talentshowcase of local student artists, prizesand giveaways. The winners of the

Money Trees workshop will beannounced at this time too.

#EYECONThe Premier Youth Entrepreneurship Conference

Thursday, May 7, 2015 8:30am - 2:00pm


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The Facts

The MostEntrepreneurial of All

Text MessagesOur audience spends more time withelectronics than with people; one inthree teens sends more than 100 textmessages a day, or 3,000 texts a

month.

Graduation61% of high school students wouldrather be an entrepreneur instead ofan employee when they graduatecollege.

Building My OwnDue to high youth unemployment rates

60% of African-Americans and 59%of Latino respondents say they aremost likely to work for themselves laterin life.

$23M StrongThis group birthed between 1994 and

2010 represent 25% of the USpopulation

$43B Spending PowerThey spend more money on food anddrinks than anything else, and theirfavorite eatery is Starbucks. Nike istheir top clothing brand, followed byForever 21, American Eagle, and PoloRalph Lauren.

The Build My OwnGeneration

EYE for Change speaks to urbanmiddle and high school students. Thesestudents are the purveyors of technologyand music, fashion and lifestyle on a levelthat defies logic. They have spent theirentire lives with the world wide web. Their

lives are played out on the internet withthe likes of Twitter, Instagram, Vine, Kik,Snapchat and Tumblr. They hang out in

the mall at retail shops and are at theforefront of all the trends.

Our youth are highly connected, asmany of this generation have had lifelonguse of communications and mediatechnologies such as the World WideWeb, instant messaging, text messaging,MP3 players, mobile phones and

YouTube. High school students arepowerful consumers and are connected to

whats new. They are the voices of theneighborhood, the world and the earliestadopters of new products.

Generation Build My Own preferstexting, according to The Marketing Spot.In fact, this generation receives more than3,000 texts on a monthly basis. Mobilevideo is also important to this generation,with teens in our demographic watchingtwice as many videos on mobile devices

as any other group.

Seek and Ye Shall FindThis generation is adept at locating

information. This is also a generation thatknows how to handle things on their own.More than three-quarters would like toconvert their hobbies into full-time jobs.Almost as many, even though they are stillin school, want to be entrepreneurs in thefuture.

The idea that anyone can beanything motivates our young people to

explore non-traditional career paths,particularly in entrepreneurship and start-up businesses. They grew up in an era ofeasy social networking, and they havewitnessed people who made names forthemselves seemingly out of nowhere.They have seen people make YouTubevideos that propel them to fame (JustinBieber, Michelle Phan), apps that gainmillions of hits through social media

(Flappy Bird, Snapchat), and trending

hashtag campaigns that create tides ofchange in across the world (Ferguson2014, Hands Up, Dont Shoot and I CantBreathe)

What is their greatest strength is alsotheir greatest weakness; their ability toconnect via technology threatens tosupersede their ability to appreciate real-world experiences.

OUR AUDIENCE
http://pewresearch.org/pubs/1572/teens-cell-phones-text-messageshttp://pewresearch.org/pubs/1572/teens-cell-phones-text-messageshttp://pewresearch.org/pubs/1572/teens-cell-phones-text-messageshttp://pewresearch.org/pubs/1572/teens-cell-phones-text-messages


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DemographicsHeres a snapshot of the Build My Own

Gender HouseholdIncome

Ethnicity Age

generation.

53%Male

$41kMedian

90%AfricanAmerican

10 -13Middle School

47%Female

$24kAverage

4%Caucasian

14 - 18High School

5%Hispanic/Latino

1%Asian

Schools Represented

Public Charter

Baltimore City College High

Baltimore Leadership for

Young WomenBDJ STEM Academy

Brooklyn Park MiddleCalvert Hall College

Carver HighCity College High

Community College of BaltimoreCrofton Middle

Digital Harbor HighEdgewood High

ElevE Baltimore

Featherbed Lane ElementaryForest Park High

Glen Burnie High

Glenmar ElementaryHamilton Elem./ MiddleKenwood High

City Springs

NACA II HighNew Era Academy

Grades 5 - 12

Mergenthaler High

Newtown HighMilford Mill High

Northwestern HighNorthwood Elementary

Old Court Middle

Patterson HighPowhatan Elementary

Regional F. Lewis HighRoland Park Elem/Middle

Sankofa Homeschool CollectiveSudbrook Middle Magnet

The Money School/

Chasing the Dream Summer Camp

The SEED School of MarylandTowson High

Trinity LutheranUnseldsPatterson HighWEB DuBois High

Western HighWindsor Mill HighAnd many, many more!


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Likes & Comments

Participants share theirthoughts on #EYECON

95%of participants said the conferencetaught me things on entrepreneurship,money, and leadership that Im notlearning in school and/or at home.

First place winner Crate showsoff his product, exclusive Nikeshoes sold through hiswebsite.


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Our Leaders

Skill Building

Interpersonal SkillsStudents learn how to network withothers and build relationships basedon mutual interests and experience.

Critical ThinkingStudents learn to evaluate informationto determine whether it is right orwrong. They think critically about anissue or a problem and consideralternative ways of looking atsolutions. This helps them makejudgments and come to their ownconclusions independently.

CommunicationStudents practice how to give andreceive information andconvey their ideas and opinions. Thecommittee participates in publicspeaking and writing letters to specialguests and sponsors.

Its Yours#EYECON is youth-led and youth-

driven. EYE for Change supports theyouth voice and input in all ourprogramming. We believe that the youthwe serve should be the ones to decidewhat we deliver to youth. Our committeemembers range in age from 10 years to18 years. They attend various schools in

the Baltimore area.

The PlanningEvery second Saturday of the month,

the #EYECON committee convenes to planthe annual entrepreneurship conference.During these monthly meetings, thecommittee shares its ideas on workshops,

themes, activities, food, prizes, andgiveaways. They call potential vendorsand sponsors, promote the conference

across their social media platforms andsecure volunteers and presenters. Finally,the committee leads the program duringthe conference, welcoming and facilitatingthe main events in the ballroom.

The MembersKayla McDaniel, Mergenthaler HighChristopher Miller, Seed School of MDKaire Swan, Featherbed ElementaryMichael Smith, Trinity LutheranRaquel Hamner, Glen Burnie High

Erin Hamner, Brooklyn Park MiddleMichaela Smith, Edgewood, High

TChelle Thomas, Towson HighJordan Hopson, Seed School of MDMorgan Hunter, New Town High

#EYECON COMMITTEE

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