Tag: nonprofit



Olin welcomed the first participants in the BOLD@Olin program last month.

The new program, BOLD—Business Opportunity and Leadership Development—was a week-long immersion for female rising high school juniors and seniors interested in learning about opportunities for women in business.

Small groups worked together to strengthen critical thinking skills.

The program ran from July 22-26, 2019, and included 23 women from 10 states. Participants applied for the program by submitting a personal statement explaining their interest in business and hopes for the program, as well as a high school transcript and letter of recommendation from a high school teacher or administrator.

Small groups worked to solve problems for a local nonprofit, Variety the Children’s Charity of St Louis. On the last day, each group presented their solutions while Variety staff and Olin faculty listened, posed questions and ultimately praised BOLD participants for their innovative insights.

Small groups collaborate and create a plan of action.

The program offered participants the chance to network with current Olin students and faculty while developing their brand, strengthening their leadership skills and collaborating with a team.

However, the program was just as much of a success for the participants.

Sydney West, a rising senior from California, was inspired to overcome obstacles in pursuit of her business career. While she acknowledged awareness of gender division in business is necessary, it will not hold her back from getting a job in business. “It is an attainable goal and you shouldn’t let gender get in the way,” she said.

Aisha Adedeyo, a rising senior from Minnesota, praised the opportunity to learn from other women in business through various sessions. “Not only were they very engaging, but they really helped you dive deeper into what your core values are… It helped me figure out… exactly I want to do.”

Emily and her team discussing their project together.

Emily Potter, a rising senior from St. Louis, gained confidence through the program. “I’ll put myself out there more just because…now I feel a lot more comfortable in my own skin,” she said after learning about her brand and leadership style.

After a week of learning and growing at Olin, BOLD participants could envision their futures as leaders who will change the world, for good.

To learn more or to apply for next year’s program, visit the website.




Congratulations to the winners of the 10th annual YouthBridge Social Enterprise and Innovation Competition (SEIC) . Ten finalists competed for funding awards totaling over $100,000.  All of this year’s winners serve children and youth, and many were in the area of education.  The competition is hosted by the Skandalaris Center in partnership with the YouthBridge Community Foundation, with support from sponsors the Lutheran Foundation of St. Louis and the Daughters of Charity Foundation of St. Louis.
And the winners are:

  • $30,000 YouthBridge Award to The MakerShare Initiative of The Disruption Department, which provides access to Maker and STEM technology to students in schools without the resources to do so
  • $25,000 Lutheran Foundation Award to Virtual Child Care Business Center, which is changing the business models of early care and education programs to save time, share costs, and increase quality
  • $25,000 Daughters of Charity Foundation Award to Magnificent Potential, which creates unique, high-quality screen printed t-shirts, while providing employment and personal development to local high school students
  • $25,000 Skandalaris Award to Code Red Education, which teaches 1st – 12th grade students computer science and computer coding in order to prep them for tech careers after graduation
  • $5,000 student award to Teaching Engineering to St Louis Adolescents (TESLA), which empowers disadvantaged youth through dynamic after-clubs to expose them to various STEM principles through hands-on design challenges rooted in engineering fields that foster creativity, innovation, and critical thinking

The competition is open to both Washington University students and social entrepreneurs from the community, and several of the finalists included Washington University alumni.  Magnificent Potential was founded by alumnus David Carroll (AM 2014) in his role as Chief Program Officer of Neighborhood Houses, a nonprofit serving the St. Louis community for over 100 years.  TESLA was founded by WUSTL School of Engineering junior Nicholas Okafor and his team includes several Washington University undergraduate students.

YSEIC 10The YouthBridge SEIC was founded ten years ago and since its inception has awarded more than $1.2 million to over 40 winning social ventures.  Many past participants in the competition attended the awards ceremony, and three past winners provided updates on their venture as part of the program.  All referred to both the value of the funding awards received as well as the connections made through the competition.  The value of those connections was shown again this year, as finalist teams showed universal support and encouragement for each other regardless of who won funding awards.

YouthBridge Community Foundation CEO Michael Howard opened the program speaking of the ten-year partnership with Washington University which has planted the seeds of the developing ecosystem of social entrepreneurship in St. Louis. He said the competition is a great example of community collaboration, citing the involvement of the Lutheran and Daughters of Charity Foundations, as well as past sponsors of funding awards and in-kind accounting and legal services.  Thanks to the competition, Howard said, “Organizations are feeding hungry children, providing job training, battling sex trafficking, providing clean water, access to healthy food, and supporting education initiatives.  All the teams, past and current, are doing and will do great things.”

Emre Toker, Managing Director of the Skandalaris Center, said “We are very grateful for the support that the YouthBridge Community Foundation has provided for the last ten years.  Our students have the potential and the desire to address the world’s most pressing social problems.  Along with our colleagues at the Brown School and at The Mission Center L3C we will continue to train the next group of social entrepreneurs on campus and in the community and look forward to the impact they will make.”

In other news from past YouthBridge SEIC winners:
2006 YouthBridge SEIC winner St. Louis ArtWorks will host a spring sale on Saturday, May 2, from 11AM – 2PM.  For more info see their website at http://www.stlartworks.org/.

2011 YouthBridge SEIC winner Janji has launched their new Haiti “Run for Another” running shirts.  Check out their website at http://runjanji.com/ and sign up to be the first to receive new product information every Wednesday.

2011 YouthBridge SEIC winner Perennial’s schedule of Creative-Reuse classes is at http://eepurl.com/bjrGV9.

2013 YouthBridge SEIC winner Independent Youth will host TrepStart Day on Monday, October 5, a one-day event where teens learn, lunch and launch into entrepreneurial thinking by interacting with successful teen entrepreneurs from around the US.  Early registration opens May 1 – more info at http://independentyouth.org/.

2013 YouthBridge SEIC winner The Circus Harmony Flying Trapeze Center is back up and running under the train shed at historic St. Louis Union Station.  They have classes every day except Monday. Take your friends and family for this safe fun activity and see how it feels to defy gravity! To book your flight, call 314.504.4298 or go to www.trapezestl.com.




The deadline for applications for the Taylor Community Consulting Program is June 12 at noon. A total of nine Taylor Community Consulting Program (TCCP) projects are available this summer. The projects span a wide variety of organizations in the non-profit community.

The consulting projects are managed by the Center for Experiential Learning. Detailed descriptions of the projects and organizations are available on the CEL website. Consulting teams will be announced by June 17.

THE PROJECTS:

  1. Lutheran Family and Children’s Services: Market Research
  2. Great Circle: Market Research
  3. Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater St. Louis: Operational Assessement
  4. Senior Services Plus: Market Research
  5. Sweet Success: Market Research
  6. Ranken Jordan Pediatric Bridge Hospital: Strategic Plan
  7. Saint Louis Crisis Nursery: Market Research
  8. North Grand Neighborhood Services: Financial Assessment
  9. Veterans Business Resource Center: Strategic Plan

HOW TO APPLY:

Students who are interested in applying for the program should submit their applications through the CEL Website.

  • Click on Students – Apply Here
  • Fill in the “Student Applying for Taylor” and then click “Continue”
  • Check the box for each project of interest
  • Rank order your selected projects, with “1” being your preferred project, “2” your second preference, etc.  You do not need to rank every project, and you will only be considered for projects that you rank.  You may apply for projects even if you have not yet registered for the class (MGT 520).

TCCP consulting teams consist of 2 – 4 students; you may apply as an individual or as a team.  If you apply as a team, please list the other members on your application, but know that each team member must also apply.   In addition, know that even if you have already registered for the course, you must still apply for your projects of interest.

Participants in the TCCP are expected to dedicate approximately eight to ten hours per week to their project during Summer B, and will receive 1.5 credit hours for this course.  Each team is required to make a final presentation, with final presentations tentatively slated for the evenings of August 12, 13 or 14 from 4:00-9:30PM.

Students who participate in the program should plan on attending the mandatory Taylor Course Introduction on Thursday, June 19 in Classroom 104 in Simon Hall at 5:30-6:15PM.