Tackling The Problem Of Youth Disconnection In NYC Through Engaging Summer Programs

June 14, 2011 - PRLog -- With ‘More than 90% of high school students who rate their entrepreneurial knowledge as ‘poor’ or ‘fair’ (2008 Gallup polls); the growing disappearance of minority students in STEM fields; and the increasing drop-out rates among our inner city youth; it is pertinent that we start tackling these issues proactively, in order to avert the growing Youth Disconnection trend.

As such, Re:LIFE Incorporated writes to announce its upcoming summer programs that aim at addressing these appalling trends in New York City. These summer programs - Re:LIFE’s first annual YoungSTARTER Entrepreneurship Competition and the Summer ESTEEM Program (Exploring Science, Technology, Engineering, Entrepreneurship and Mathematics) are open to all youth ages 14 to 18, resident in New York City. These programs are Re:LIFE Inc.’s endeavors to positively engage New York City’s youth in Science, Engineering, Technology and Mathematics, as well as Entrepreneurship education. They will encourage creativity, innovation and drive, while helping keep our youth out of trouble. Re:LIFE Inc. also aims to identify and recognize talented youth, who otherwise may not have the right opportunities for exposure.
For further information, please visit our website at http://www.relifeinc.org, or email us at relifeinc@gmail.com. You may also call us with any other inquiries at 347.450.1206/1201/1488.

Re:LIFE Inc’s mission is to empower youth through education and entrepreneurship; especially disconnected and at-risk youth. We believe in the principle behind the cliche “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day, teach him how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime”. Thus, we ensure that all of our programs reflect our mission. In empowering youth educationally, we don’t just mean academics, but also through nutrition, physical fitness, explorations, interests, talents and all that positively empower youth.

With strong belief in sound financial literacy and independence of our youth, we are also very passionate about youth innovation and entrepreneurship at Re:LIFE Inc. This is because innovation and entrepreneurship drive socioeconomic growth, employment and profitability, wealth and success; but most importantly, fiscal responsibility and personal independence. Thus, our main objective, alongside vigorously promoting educational and personal enrichment, is to impact a multitude of lives and economic well-being by creating an empowered and unique breed of young entrepreneurs.

YoungSTARTER Competition
The Re:LIFE YoungSTARTER Competition is being organized by Re:LIFE Inc to give high school students the opportunity to distinguish themselves through entrepreneurship. The event will run through the summer and will culminate during Entrepreneurship Week in November.

Prizes and Awards
• First Prize $1000 Cash and $3000 towards Business Start-up
• Second Prize $700 Cash and $2000 towards Business Start-up
• Third Prize $500 Cash and $1000 towards Business Start-up

Additional Awards
• All top 50 semi-finalists will participate in a two-day seminar on business-plan writing and presentation
• All top10 finalist will receive Mentorship by Corporate Mentors prior to final competition and selection
• All top10 finalists will participate in Re:LIFE’s 4-week YoungLIFE Entrepreneurship training under Re:LIFE Incorporated for Spring 2012.
• Business Start-up Capital will be managed by Re:LIFE Incorporated and Professional Mentors.
• All Awardees will receive supervision under Re:LIFE Inc. and support in continuing to develop and launch their business ventures for at least 12 continuous months.
• Finalists will be featured in Re:LIFE publications and media outlets.
• The Winners of the YoungSTARTER Competition will be featured at an award ceremony in November 2011.

YoungSTARTER Competition Phases
Phase 1(Business Idea): Candidates send in business idea propositions. Document should not exceed 2 pages.
Criteria: There are no restrictions to chosen ideas. Just ideas.

Phase 2 (Idea Selection): Top 50 ideas will be chosen and business plans requested. Two-day business-plan writing and presentation workshop will be held for all 50 semi-finalists.
Criteria: Market opportunity
              Distinctive Competence
              Management Plan
              Financial Plan

Phase 3 (Business Presentation): Top 10 finalists are chosen to present their ideas to a panel of judges. Finalists also work with business mentors to help them sharpen their business plans prior to final competition. Best 3 ideas win the competition.
Criteria: Overall Presentation
              Socio-economic Impact

YoungSTARTER Competition Guidelines to Apply
• Deadline date for application is July 30th, 2011
• Participants must be ages (14-18) and a NYC resident
• Participants who are under 18 must have Parent/Guardian permission to apply and participate
• Participants must apply on our website at www.relifeinc.org. To apply by mail, send a completed PDF form to Re:LIFE Inc, 417 West 147th Street, Ground Floor, New York, NY 10031. All applicants must complete entire application.
• The business idea must be the work of the student(s) ONLY submitting the entry. Student(s) can apply as individuals or as a group of no more than 4 Members. All group applications will require contact information for the lead contact person.
• Each individual can only apply once.

The ESTEEM Program
The ESTEEM Summer Program is an intensive 4-Week Summer Educational Program open to all New York City youth, ages 14 to 18, from August 1st to 26th. ESTEEM represents Exploring Science, Technology, Engineering, Entrepreneurship and Mathematics. This program is Re:LIFE Incorporated’s endeavor to introduce STEM and Entrepreneurship to New York City’s youth. Participants will be mentored by college students throughout the program.

Program Format
The program will run from Monday through Friday, 9.00am-4.00pm. This will include a half-hour interval for Breakfast and another for Lunch. Lessons will be provided in Science, Technology, Engineering, Entrepreneurship, and Mathematics. One day will be designated for Electives in social, nutritional and creative pursuits in a variety of fields. A daily breakdown will be provided to accepted students during their orientation.

Costs and Benefits
Each applicant will be required to pay a $500.00 fee, with scholarships available based on student applicability.
This fee will help offset some Operational and Administrative costs. After the program’s completion, each student will receive a Certificate of Participation and Achievement during our End-of-Program event.

Application and Important Dates
Full Application Due: July 1st, 2011
Late Application Deadline: July 15th (Based on space availability and qualification)
Orientations: July 22nd and July 23rd (students/legal guardian must attend one)
Program Duration: August 1-August 26

We Need Your Help
We are kindly requesting your assistance in helping us identify potential candidates for both endeavors. We want a variety of students -the extremely talented, the average student and the at-risk applicant. Our goal is to build a network of students who can positively influence their peers in the right environment, while providing the atmosphere for discipline, education, supervision and guidance. We will therefore appreciate it if you would enlist your support for this initiative. We importantly need to work with teachers, counselors, parents, students, and churches to assist with the identification of potential candidates.
Participants will be required to complete and submit the entire application. Please refer to the guidelines for more information. Please feel free to share this information with all who might be interested.

Questions?
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact

Kevaughn Isaacs
Vice President
t: 347.450.1206
c: 845.671.0746
e: kisaacs00@gmail.com

Martha Ries
Coordinator
t: 347.450.1488
e: riesmc@gmail.com

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Re:LIFE Incorporated is a 501c3 Non-Profit Organization with a mission to empower youth through Education and Entrepreneurship