Myrtle Avenue merchant Jill Lindsey with Young Entrepreneur Mentorship Program participant Synyah during her six-week summer job assignment at the Jill Lindsey shop and cafe.
With the invaluable support of community partners, Myrtle Avenue merchants, and self-driven youth, Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn partnership has successfully closed out their 13th year of the YEMP (Youth Entrepreneurship Mentorship Program) initiative! YEMP Summer 2019 was one for the books and also came with a lot of firsts.
#TheyWorked
This year’s YEMP summer initiative was packed with enriching opportunities for our participating Youth. We partnered with a local entrepreneurship consulting company to bring an afternoon of Shark Sessions which was a fun interactive version of the television show Shark Tank. The teens learned the basics of starting a business and even practiced pitching a business concept of their own. We had the owner of Green in BKLYN, Elissa, begin a scholarship fund in loving memory of her first intern, Cristina Valentin, for YEMP interns who exemplify activism and compassion for their community. After a competitive application process, 15-year-old Synyah Jordan was awarded the YEMP Activist scholarship of $100. Synyah Jordan also graced the YEMP closing ceremony as a keynote speaker and shared her personal experience through an empowering speech.
At the YEMP closing ceremony, the community in attendance showered all the fellows with words of encouragement and love as many of them continue to work, prepare for school, and be change agents in their community.
Want to Get Involved?
For information on how and when to apply for the annual YEMP internship, you can sign up for Myrtle Avenue’s newsletter to receive updates as soon as the 2020 YEMP application opens.
Special Thank Yous
To the 11 Myrtle Avenue merchants who volunteered to serve as employers and mentors to the participating local high schoolers:
- Jill Lindsey
- Green In BKLYN
- Move With Grace
- Vitality Juice Bar
- Champion’s Taekwondo
- Peck’s
- Sandbox
- Petee’s Pie
- Brooklyn Public Library Whitman Branch
- Halal Spot
- Just Because Salon
A sincere thank you to supporters of the 2019 YEMP program: Con Edison and The Gilbert Rivera Charitable Foundation.
Thank you to Voodo Fé who accommodated the closing ceremony in their art gallery space at 572 Myrtle Ave.
Want to become a supporter of the YEMP program? Please contact us about becoming an individual donor.
