15 Youth Development Initiatives

Youth development initiatives are somewhat of a buzz in the social entrepreneurship and international development realms but there's more to it than that. The social businesses featured here all of youth development at the core of its mission and business model. The goal is to empower youth through honing in on skills and giving them opportunities whether it's through hobbies like skateboarding, which can create self-esteem in a simple way, or through more traditional job training activities.

One of the youth development initiatives that Social Business featured in October of 2011, the Global Block Foundation, was recently part of the Occupy Sandy fundraiser in Brooklyn, New York at the Brooklyn Bowl, which featured various artists including Jean Grae and the infamous Immortal Technique. With that being said, many of the youth development initiatives go beyond age to help out the community at large.