Congratulations to our Washington DC Dream It. Do It. Challenge Teams!

This past weekend we celebrated and honored the successful launch of 12 new Venture Teams through the Dream It. Do It. Challenge here in DC. The Dream It. Do It. Challenge is a transformative 13 week journey that challenges youth to be changemakers in their community. Through intensive workshops, these amazing and powerful leaders came together to develop Ventures that fill voids they saw in society. The process was concluded with each team presenting their ideas to a panel of community judges, where they were given the chance to fully explain their role in an “Everyone a changemaker” world. Congratulations to our teams! You all have been an inspiration to everyone involved in this incredible process. We look forward to seeing all the great things you are doing in the world! So, please welcome the newest additions to the Youth Venture family:

• Alesha founded Writer’s Epiphany in order to provide opportunities to writers to have their voices heard. Writer’s Epiphany is a writer’s guild where writers come together from across the community and across socioeconomic lines to write their pieces and have them published.
• Begine founded Dance for the Soul, Play for the Fun to keep youth off the streets and to create an enjoyable, safe environment for kids in her neighborhood. Dance for the Soul, Play for the Fun allows youth to come together and learn to dance.
• Brianna and Dontazia started Cut 2 the Chase to help homeless people by providing them with meals. Cut 2 the Chase raises money for food supplies through fundraisers and charging people a reduced cost to style their hair while also seeking food donations.
• Gabrielle started Poetic Youth as a poetry club for children in her Washington, DC community. Poetic Youth teaches young people about poetry and helps them express their emotions and problems through their writing instead of through destructive behavior.
• Herman founded Help the Homeless as a way to raise money for the homeless population of Washington, DC. The organization sells candy in addition to holding various other fundraisers in order to raise money to donate to homeless shelters.
• Jamie founded Scooby Hunt as a series of fun activities for sick youth to participate in. The group brings together healthy youth and sick children for a scavenger hunt where the youth follow Scooby Doo footprints and find clues that lead them to different exciting locations. Scooby Hunt brings together sick youth in hospitals who feel marginalized due to their illness and helps them forge lasting friendships with youth their age.
• Muriel founded HOPE as a career resource center for homeless adults living in Washington, DC. The center focuses on helping homeless people create resumes and learn valuable tips for job hunting and interviewing.
• Paola started Pasion en la Cosina as a cooking club to give teenagers something constructive and positive to do with their time. The group meets to prepare meals and then enjoy the food they made together while holding conversations about the challenges of growing up.
• Roosevelt founded Save the Planet to teach others about recycling and implement a recycling program in schools across Washington, DC. Save the Planet is determined to have recycling bins available to students in all elementary, middle, and high schools around Washington, DC and to have recycling be an option for students as most schools do not currently have a recycling program.
• Sadaa intends to use her Venture to work closely with a small group of homeless people within her community. The first step is to provide them with a hot meal. During mealtimes Sadaa hopes to spread awareness about job opportunities in the region and give the homeless the individualized help they need to secure these opportunities; whether this means a haircut, or money for transportation.
• Shadae created The Fierce Nubian Queens as a modeling club designed to improve self-confidence among young girls. Girls meet to learn the finer techniques of modeling and fashion from experienced mentors and each year the club holds a fashion show to showcase their up-and-coming talent.
• Wasima founded New Generation Daycare Center to be a loving, caring childcare center for low-income families. Wasima’s vision is to provide quality childcare options for families at a reduced cost.