To empower Rhode Island youth to be changemakers now by facilitating their development as leaders and young social entrepreneurs through a multi-tiered approach which includes an interactive curriculum, seed funding opportunities, resource-filled workshops and mentorship.

The Young Social Innovators program has grown out of a strategic alliance between Social Venture Partners Rhode Island and Ashoka’s Youth Venture. The This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it are collaborating to:

• Facilitate the development of RI youth as leaders and changemakers in their communities;
• Support youth in developing an action plan for a social venture through Ashoka’s Youth Venture program;
• Strengthen the fellowship component of the Ashoka’s Youth Venture program by managing a network of university student mentors for Venture Teams and providing occasional workshops on specific aspects of starting and maintaining a social enterprise.

Fall 2011 Funded Ventures:

• Music Smith - An eleven-year-old boy from Cranston who makes and sells bamboo and wooden flutes. A portion of profits go towards music programming at Highlander Charter School.
• Lyrication - A computer software program designed by a student of the East Bay MET School that helps people create their own songs. The program is taught, and provided free of cost, to middle school students on Aquidneck Island.
• No Boundaries - A book of short stories with positive messages that a team of three middle school students from Pawtucket will collect, edit, have printed, and sell.
• Met Spot -  A school web store with school merchandise as well as art created by students and other local artists, run by a team of students at the East Bay Met School.
• Hip-Rock Workshop - Two Pawtucket high school students will teach affordable music lessons and performance skills to local youth without access to sufficient music programming.
• Ndatty's Unique Bracelets - A middle school girl in Woonsocket who customizes leather and rubber band bracelets. A portion of her profits go towards service learning projects and Blast Week (end-of-summer fieldtrips as a reward for summer reading) at NeighborWorks Blackstone River Valley Youth RAP.

Community Preparatory School

Highlander Charter School

The Hub (Providence After School Alliance)

Fall 2011 Dream It. Do It. Program Sites (view in a larger map here):

Boys & Girls Club of Newport County (Newport)

Pawtucket Boys & Girls Club and Woodlawn CDC (Pawtucket)

The Hub (Providence After School Alliance) and The Met Public Street (Providence)

Youth RAP at NeighborWorks Blackstone River Valley (Woonsocket)