Providing K-12 students in underprivileged California districts with the skills, mindset, and opportunities to become future business leaders.
Join Our MissionYoung Innovators for Change is a California non-profit dedicated to transforming the educational experience of K-12 students in underprivileged districts through comprehensive business education.
We believe that by introducing business concepts, entrepreneurial thinking, and financial literacy from an early age, we can empower students to envision and create better futures for themselves and their communities.
Our program recreates the essential elements of MBA education in an age-appropriate, engaging curriculum that builds skills progressively from elementary through high school.
Introducing young students to basic concepts of money, entrepreneurship, and teamwork through interactive activities, role-playing, and creative problem-solving exercises.
Building financial literacy, introducing business models, and developing market research skills through project-based learning and team-based mini-ventures.
Comprehensive business education including business planning, marketing, operations management, and leadership through hands-on projects and real-world applications.
Our program is designed to complement existing curricula, not replace them. We work closely with schools to identify integration points where business education can enhance core subjects like math, language arts, and social studies. Our curriculum aligns with California state education standards and can be implemented as an enrichment program, after-school activity, or integrated into regular class time.
Our instructors include certified teachers with business education training as well as business professionals with teaching experience. All mentors go through background checks and training before working with students. We prioritize mentors who have both business expertise and experience working with youth, particularly those from similar backgrounds as our students to provide relevant role models.
We use multiple assessment methods to track our impact, including pre and post-program knowledge assessments, student engagement metrics, project quality evaluations, and feedback from teachers and parents. Long-term, we follow graduates to track college enrollment, business creation, career paths, and financial literacy indicators. We believe success isn't just about business knowledge but also improved confidence, problem-solving skills, and future orientation.
For schools in underprivileged districts, our goal is to provide the program at no cost. We secure funding through grants, corporate partnerships, and individual donations to cover curriculum materials, teacher training, and program implementation. For schools with available resources, we offer flexible funding arrangements where they can contribute a portion of the costs based on their capabilities.
We provide parent resources including home activity guides, financial literacy materials, and discussion prompts that extend classroom learning. Parents can also support by sharing their own work experiences, helping with student business projects, attending showcase events, and reinforcing concepts like saving, budgeting, and entrepreneurial thinking at home. We offer parent workshops throughout the year to strengthen this home-school connection.