Congratulations to the 2017 cohort of teens who participated in the Young Entrepreneur Mentorship Program (YEMP) of the Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Partnership this summer. This is the eleventh year of the YEMP program and the first year of partnering with Pratt to bring a more STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math ) exposure to the program.

Sixteen local high school students completed the program which took place over the course of 6 weeks and included 20 hours in the classroom and 100 work hours.

This year’s hands-on project for the students in the classroom was a collaboration with 3D Brooklyn. With their help, students learned about 3D printing and AutoCad design. Both skills were utilized by the students when they worked in teams to design and create an everyday product. The creative outcomes included fidget spinners, taco holders, jewelry pendants and personalized cell phone cases. The students also took a trip to the Brooklyn Navy Yard to visit local manufacturers such as Situ Fabricators and were visited by a host of speakers, including Sue Rock, Electra Jarvis and Keith Kirkland. For the work experience, students worked primarily with Myrtle Avenue small businesses but a few were placed with a few of the Pratt Center’s Made in NYC local manufacturing businesses as well.

Last week, the students presented the final products at Pratt Institute to their peers, parents, program partners and other guests.

2017 YEMP Students:

Anoor Ajala, Brianna-Monet Locklear, Corinne Court, Diyanna Hill, Dylan Gongora, Jonah Fields, Jontae Martin, Kaylynn Denis, Kennedi Watson, Laura Williams, Maya Simeon, Melissa Munoz-Bohorquez, Mikyle Dixon, Nyasia Dieudonne, Quianna Minnot, and Sarah Gbobo.

Local Business Partners:

• 3D Brooklyn
• Brooklyn Sweet Spot
• Circa Brewing Co.
• Emmanuel Baptist Church
• Emmanuel Baptist Church Daycare
• Halal Spot
• Leisure Life NYC
• Move with Grace Yoga, Dance & Fitness Studio and Juice Bar
• Peck’s
• Pipsqueak Children’s Shoppe
• Pratt Center
• Putnam’s Pub and Cooker
• Thea Grant Jewelry
• Ultimate Champions Taekwondo

Program Partners:

• Pratt Center for Community Development
• Pratt Institute Center for Art, Design, and Community Engagement K-12
• Teens That Mean Business at Emmanuel Baptist Church

Support for the Young Entrepreneur Mentorship Program (YEMP) comes from Brooklyn Community Foundation, Con Edison, and Deutsche Bank Americas Foundation, and Emmanuel Baptist Church.