Our mission is to unlock entrepreneurial potential and nurture economic mobility by embedding entrepreneurship into the K–12 educational ecosystem. We expand traditional college and career planning by providing historically marginalized youth with access to entrepreneurial experiences, knowledge, and support—empowering them to build thriving BIPOC-owned businesses that are equitable, fundable, profitable, and sustainable.
A vision to drive economic mobility through education.
Empowering youth with early-onset entrepreneurial experiences and training.
Who we are
Join us in unlocking our vision to build a movement of “emancipative mobility” in K-12 educational setting by offering access to entrepreneurial education to young people. These paradigm shifts within the educational ecosystem will lead to greater pathways out of intergenerational poverty and support equity in the educational outcomes of Twin Cities youth.
Today, Sown Emancipation offers free trainings, lesson plans, community workshops, and a variety of youth entrepreneurial initiatives across the Twin Cities to in real-time make youth entrepreneurship apart our present and not our future.Sown Emancipation focuses on empowering youth through early-onset entrepreneurial experiences which aim to bring “emancipative mobility” into the K-12 educational ecosystem.
By focusing on early-onset entrepreneurship, the organization is reshaping the narrative around what education can and should be, emphasizing that economic empowerment begins with exposure and access to entrepreneurial experiences.
Through its community-centric approach, tailored curriculum, and commitment to fostering a supportive ecosystem, Sown Emancipation is not just preparing youth for the future but actively empowering them in the present.
While our primary headquarters is Minneapolis, MN we focus on serving youth in high-poverty communities throughout the Twin Cities metro area of MN, along with southeast Washington DC, and Tulsa, OK.
Problems worth solving…
Lack of exposure to free and accessible early-onset entrepreneurial experiences causes achievement gaps for BIPOC entrepreneurs and business owners to exist, persist, and be successful.
Lack of curriculum and educational content to build business acumen, and training means we have no intentional framework for moving beyond workforce preparation and college access to facilitate economic empowerment and business ownership to work in tandem with the educational process.
We cannot afford to overlook the need for entrepreneurial education in school, library, and community settings.
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Free youth entrepreneurship and business development workshops, experiences, exposure, and training services.
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Launch business ideas and enterprises at Youth Business Fair Marketplaces and Vending Tables.
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Further develop and refine youth business enterprises through real-time experiences and exposure.
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Use profits and prizes to refine and grow your youth business idea or enterprise.
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Shark-tank style youth business pitch competitions to fund and file youth business for viable sustainability.
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ROOTS: OUR BACKGROUND STORY
“We got to the business of growing and sowing through lesson plans, school product launches, school + community report cards, scholarship initiatives, anything to help our kids know their power and potential. With each initiative, Sown Emancipation grew, and so did our kids.“
- Maliza Kalema, Sown Emancipation Founder
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LINK WITH US
We provide curriculum, events, and a wealth of tools to foster an entrepreneurial mindset in young people, helping them develop creativity, problem-solving, and critical thinking skills. Visit our Linktree to access our tools.
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Our Workshops
During our youth business workshops we learn real-time ways to turn ideas into business launches and real profits. Each workshop is stand-alone and helps to nurture further development of entrepreneurial skills and mindsets
““I wish I had Sown Emancipation when I was in school. It would have given me the guidance and resources I needed to start my own business at a young age.””
““Sown Emancipation stands as a beacon of hope and opportunity for youth in high-poverty communities by envisioning how to address educational and economic disparities with real-time opportunities for real-world business experiences and development.””