Youth Innovation Forum

One of CAAO’s most exciting initiatives is a unique youth innovation forum.  The YIF is an educational medium for idea generation for new products, fresh designs, and latest creations.  It is a think tank for urban youth, and an occasion for brainstorms that can lead to great opportunities for advancement and profit for corporations.  YIF promotes innovation and excellence in a unique education environment.  The participants will develop entrepreneurial, financial literacy, leadership development, and business awareness skills as well by selling YIF services as a youth ideation center to product development companies, advertising agencies, and marketing organizations.  YIF aims “to cultivate future leaders and help bright young people chart their own courses to success.”

Participating youth are ages 10 – 19, and from diverse socio-economic groups.  YIF builds thinkers out of prospective consumers from a fast growing population that can help create innovative ideas for future growth.

Programming costs for each student is approximately $1,500.  YIF prospective participants pay a $5 application fee then partake in a selection process.  Once chosen, each youth pays a program fee of $25.00 to participate.  The group meets two to four times a month for four hours for the ideation-training curriculum, which consists of Idea and Artistic Development, Work Ethics, Creating Quality Documents, Business Basics, Marketing and An Introduction to Financial Literacy.  Meetings are filled with incentives to celebrate the participants’ accomplishments.  These incentives include gift certificates and other donated items.

Product development companies, advertising agencies, and marketing organizations can purchase the services (sponsor) of the YIF.  A percentage of the sales revenues are used to invest in the participants’ future by providing scholarships and educational experience opportunities based on points that they earned; but the student must complete two years of the program to earn the dollars.  Scholarships are awarded to colleges and universities; special licensure training programs; and vocational institutions.  External educational experiences and opportunities are encouraged; and they include pertinent conventions such as Black Enterprise’s annual conference; trips to foreign lands such as Europe or Africa; travel to hear motivational speakers; and opportunities to participate in specialized programs such as Creative Writing or Public Speaking Workshops.  The remainder of the sales revenues will be used to grant the program self-sustainability.

All YIF participants are from Northeast Ohio and represent a diversity of abilities. The YIF Education Center is located in the urban environment of the Midtown Corridor of Cleveland, Ohio on Prospect Avenue, near the main corridor of greater Cleveland and easily accessible by bus and by freeway to the east, west, and south, serving multiple counties of Northeast Ohio.

The YIF participants will have unlimited opportunities which can lead to their eventual development as community leaders, emerging entrepreneurs, or corporate chiefs.  They will develop new knowledge and skills around the ideation process, creating ambitious and motivated life long thinkers that have strong desires to pursue unlimited successes.

How can I and / or my company get involved?

There are seven ways that any individual or company can get involved in the good works of the YIF.

1 – Make a straight monetary donation to support the initiative;

2 – Become a sponsor and/or customer with your tax-deductible $2,500+ donation toward utilizing the services of the YIF;

3 – Make a donation of gifts, gift certificates, and premium items to be used as awards and benchmarks for participating youth;

4 – Make a donation of new or refurbished computers and laptops to be given to participating youth;

5 – Make a donation of your time to mentor and work with participating youth;

6 – Host a field trip at your facility; and/or

7 – Host the annual Youth Career Day and Conference providing a hot breakfast and facilities for approximately 100 to 150 youth and parents (eating area, presentation space with screen and projector, 2 to 3 breakout rooms).

If you are interested in becoming involved, please call the CAAO office at 216-432-9481 orsend an email to  caao_Cleveland@yahoo.com

YIF Application