Building Entrepreneurship Mindset Focused On 21ST Century Learning – Part Two

This workshop will include strategies on establishing student-led environments where young people identify their interests, passions, talents and develop 21st century skills while working on bringing social change to their communities. We will introduce methods of teaching that are designed to prepare students for the modern-day marketplace by developing skills such as creativity, collaboration, critical thinking, communication, emotional intelligence, informational and digital literacy. Workshop is targeting youth development directors and organizations leadership staff to gain understanding on methods and best practices for 21st century skills. 
 
We will introduce the IDEAS Empowered by Youth K-12 PBL curriculum which is designed to engage students in solving problems in their communities through social entrepreneurship projects rooted in the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals. The purpose of these curriculums is to encourage youth to start looking for local solutions to global problems such as poverty, hunger, health crisis, social justice crisis and climate change.  

After the two-part series, there is an opportunity for youth to participate in the Illinois Youth Entrepreneurship Program. Participating youth will take 12 weeks to prepare a business idea through our iDEAS Entrepreneurship Program. This will take place in a virtual setting from January to March 2023 to prepare for the Illinois Youth Entrepreneurship Showcase during the IAN 37th Annual Spring Virtual Conference. At the Showcase young people will present their final business ideas to judges in a shark-tank format. 
 
Learning Objectives – we will review and explore the 7 curriculums designed for iDEAS Empowered by Youth® which include the following:  

Health & Wellness: Creating Peer Ambassadors: In this deeply personal and empowering journey, children and youth will explore the health triangle of physical, mental, and social health. Through the concept of being a subject matter expert, they will learn how to become influencers and help their peers create a healthy lifestyle.

Entrepreneurship: Developing Innovative Businesses and Services: In this module, students learn the basics of business and entrepreneurship, research a business concept, develop a service or a business idea and present it to an investor or a business professional. 

Financial Wellness: Instilling Good Habits & Developing a Success Mindset: Tying together financial literacy and career aspirations through habit formation, this module helps young people develop a positive relationship with money and adopt a mindset for success while being in service to others.

Climate Change: Finding Local Solutions to Global Problems: From plastic in the oceans to one-use plastic bags, from rising sea levels to burning forests, from species decline to CO2 emissions—this module will engage young people in researching and looking for solutions to some of the most pressing issues of our time. 

Community Organizing: Developing Community Leaders for Change: Identifying problems in their community and organizing actionable steps for change. This module dives deep into leadership development and action steps to mobilize others with a shared mission.

Urban Farming: Youth Voice and Action in Food Disparity: Developing appreciation for relationship between our land, food and prosperity. This module will explore the situation with food in our communities and institutions. Youth will design projects to bring healthy food consciousness and prosperity into their communities.

Arts is a Commodity: Creating Art for Non-Fungible Tokens (NFT’s): Creating unique artifacts to transform into commodities that will increase in value. This module will guide youth to develop their unique art creations that convert into a crypto digital collectible.

IAN Facilitator: Dr. Sonia Toledo, Founder & CEO, Dignity of Children, Inc.
Cost: Free
Intended Audience: Emergent and Seasoned Professionals