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>View discussions about this entry Country: United States
Organization: RISEGO, Inc.
Year the initative began (yyyy) - 2005
Positioning in the Mosaic of solutions
Describe your program or new idea in one sentence. - Our program utilizes “The Journey” a customized curriculum to train youth to develop real businesses that generate a profit and create positive social change.
What makes your initiative uniquely positioned to create change in your community? - Our program model is innovative because it specifically targets at-risk youth enrolled in the Rochester Drug Court. Non at-risk youth from area schools can attend the after-school program format.
The program utilizes “The Journey”, a customized curriculum to teach youth to create and sustain legal businesses that create a profit, social value and positive community change. This program is unique because it: * Operates out of a community-based Social Entrepreneurship Center that provides youth with hands-on skill training, business mentors and space to launch a successful business or venture. * Partners with the Rochester City Drug Court, including partnering human service agencies that provide support to youth throughout the program duration. * Utilizes “The Journey,” a customized Social Entrepreneurship curriculum designed to teach, model, and put youth in businesses. * Affords youth with a real opportunity to make money and improve their community. * Provides business mentoring and vocational skill (hands-on) training. Describe how you organize and carry out your work? - Our goal is to target two groups of youth.
Youth, 13 to 17, from area schools will participate in an after-school program format. The second group, youth ages 18 to 25, will participate in a 12-month program in partnership with the Rochester City Drug Court. Both groups will attend trainings provided onsite. The after-school program will operate two or more days per week. The at-risk program will meet at least once a week for 4 hours. What is your plan to scale and expand your innovation into your community and beyond? - The model can be used as a framework to assist other cities and communities. It’s a new and innovative model that is not being applied in other settings. RISEGO has received inquiries from communities outside of our region (Buffalo and Jamestown, NY) that are interested in replicating the model in their areas.
All of the components in the model can be scaled and replicated in other communities. The curriculum can be taught to other instructors; Drug Courts are nationwide; BOCES our GED / Education partner is a national. The goal is to market the program model through national partners like Changemakers. The center in Rochester can be the training site for partners that are looking to replicate model. We will launch a comprehensive website to showcase the stories and lessons learned from other communities and to provide post training support. We have evaluated the financial feasibility of the model and look to partner with other lending institutions. What other resources, institutional, or policy needs would be necessary to help sustain and scale up your idea? - RISEGO has been instrumental in overcoming several challenges. There are three barriers that need to be addressed to help others sustain and scale the idea in other communities.
The first barrier is access to capital from lending or venture partners that are interested in making money and doing good. Centers that will be renovated in other communities may be vacant; commercial lenders often shy away from properties without existing rent rolls and leases. The second change is the need for the curriculum to be credited for students that are college bound. We will have to secure a college partner with national recognition so the credits are honored. The third challenge is to find Social Entrepreneurs (SE) interested in replicating the model in their community and providing the support they will need during the planning and development stages. Describe your impact in one sentence, commenting on both the individual and community levels. - RISEGO has been successful in developing a customized Social Entrepreneurship curriculum; renovated a $400,000 center; developed national partners and successfully modeled and the program.
What impact has your work achieved to date? - RISEGO acquired and developed a $400,000 Social Entrepreneurship Center with the help of youth from the community, volunteers and financial supporters. The site includes 5 businesses that locate onsite and provides services and products to the community and mentor the young Social Entrepreneurs. Youth can also work with the onsite businesses to gain valuable experience.
RISEGO has completed the research, design and development of the Journey curriculum that is being used to engage and train Social Entrepreneurs. The curriculum includes a comprehensive series of academic and real-life exercises that help youth create a business the meets a social need in their community. RISEGO has been instrumental in developing partnerships with the Rochester City Drug Court, BOCES and businesses that will locate on-site and provide mentoring support. We have been successful in testing the model by providing Social Entrepreneurial Camps and training sessions with youth. With the completion of the center, our goal is train 30 youth and 24 at-risk youth annually.
What measure do you use to gauge your impact and why? - Students will be assessed based upon four instrument tools:
* Rubrics contained in the Journey * Entrepreneurial assessments that accompany the activities * Surveys (pre and post) * Observations (Rochester City Drug Court for the at-risk youth) The rubrics are contained in The Journey curriculum. The rubrics are used to evaluate the students’ level of understanding, skills and performance. Student businesses and ventures will be measure based upon profitability performance measures and level of community change. How is your initiative currently being financed and how would you finance further expansion and/or replication? - The development project was financed by volunteers; donated equipment and resources; individual donations; bank financing and one grant. The center is being sustained by the rents paid by the businesses located on-site so the center is self-sustaining.
The ongoing programming is being sustained by funding from our education partners for the at-risk youth. The youth segment is sustained initially by a grant. Both programs segments will also charge a fee for the participants. Administrative and building (site) expenditures are covered by excess rents that are used to sustain ongoing operations. Provide information on your current finances and organization: - a. annual budget
b. annual revenue c. sources of revenue (please provide percentages if known) d. number of staff (full-time, part-time, and volunteers) RISEGO's Annual operating budget is $125,000. The annual revenue is $132,000 and the sources and percentages are as follows: * Covered by the program participant RISEGO is supported largely by entrepreneurs and volunteers. Consultants / entrepreneurs are used to provide training, administrative support, technical assistance and professional services for the organization. The model helps to ensure the maximum amount of resources are allocated to program and that we also encourage entrepreneurship. Volunteers (25) are utilized annually to provide ongoing support and business mentoring. RISEGO is also supported by a volunteer board of directors. Who are your potential partners and allies? - RISEGO has developed several partners and allies that have been instrumental in assisting with the development of the social entrepreneurhip center and program.
The development partners include architects, contractors, banks and venture partners that have lent their expertise and wealth in development of the center. RISEGO has developed program partners that have national affiliations: Each of the above partners is in almost every community and assist in sustaining our success in Rochester. The lessons learned can benefit other communities. Who are your potential investors? - RISEGO's has received local and national media exposure because of its unique approach to address community economic development and at-risk youth issues. The exposure has gotten the attention of local leaders that are essential to address the systemic issues.
We also have financial and development investors that are interested in replicating the model. Our interested investors include: SWBR Architects Business Investors: What is the origin of this innovation? Tell us your story. - In December 2002, I spearheaded the development of the Institute for Social Entrepreneurship at Roberts Wesleyan College by securing a two-year research grant from the B. Thomas Golisano Foundation totaling $280,000. As the Director, I was instrumental in modeling how Social Entrepreneurship could be applied. My research suggested a broadened focus to include elementary, high schools and a community-based focus that engages at-risk youth in communities.
In 2005, I helped create RISEGO, Inc., a not-for-profit developer dedicated to creating young social entrepreneurs. The creation of RISEGO is an outgrowth of the Institute for Social Entrepreneurship’s initial work and research. RISEGO’s focus is to create social young entrepreneurs before they enter college (as early as the 7th grade) and to develop unique programs that target at-risk youth in community settings. RISEGO is partnering with schools to create the next generation of Social Entrepreneurs that are engaged and contributing to the improvement of their schools (Creating Entrepreneurs in Schools). RISEGO is also partnering with the Rochester City Drug Court to engage youth in the drug court program to create entrepreneurs that are on a path that will provide them an alternative to selling drugs and negative behaviors (Creating Entrepreneurs in Communities). Since 2006, I have been focused on completing development of a social entrepreneurship center that will provide youth a curriculum, site, business mentors and support to launch their legal businesses. Please provide a personal bio. Note this may be used in Changemakers marketing material. - I spent fifteen years in the community development arena. In 2001, I began developing the concept that led to the formation of the Institute for Social Entrepreneurship as part of his master’s thesis. In 2002, I celebrated the launch of the Institute for Social Entrepreneurship at Roberts Wesleyan College by securing a $280,000 grant from the B. Thomas Golisano Foundation.
In 2005, I spearheaded the development of RISEGO, Inc. to create young social entrepreneurs and unique programs that target at-risk youth. Contact Information:
David Dey
President & CEO RISEGO, Inc. (Not-for-profit ) Discussions about this entry |
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Mr. Dey,
Congratulations on your work. This is very exciting. I understand that the curriculum is customizable and may be proprietary, but I wonder if you can tell us anything of the specific modules, lessons and skills you will teach.
I wonder if you find that one of the first obstacles you must overcome with your young men is cynicism and distrust of "the system" -- the straight economy -- and its sincerity in wanting minority males to succeed.
Also, I'm curious about the proportion of males and females who participate.
I'll be graduating in May. With my MBA in conjunction with my MSW I may be able to assist you in implementing the program in Baltimore. Please let me know if you think I might be able to help.
Best regards,
Jack (John R.) Kammer
University of Maryland
Current student, MSW/MBA Dual-Degree Program