Frequently Asked Questions about Sown Emancipation

What is the core mission and vision of Sown Emancipation?

Sown Emancipation is a youth entrepreneurship program dedicated to fostering educational and economic empowerment, particularly for Black and Afro-diasporic youth in Minnesota. Its core vision is to achieve "educational emancipation" by providing culturally affirming, student-centered, and equity-driven services. This includes equipping young people with entrepreneurial skills, access to capital, and the confidence to launch and sustain their own businesses. The organization believes that true liberation from inequities, especially those faced by marginalized communities in the educational system, comes through a multi-faceted approach that integrates heritage, diasporic mobility, ownership, and business concepts into an educational framework.

How does Sown Emancipation address existing problems within the educational system, particularly for Black and Afro-diasporic students?

Sown Emancipation directly tackles several critical issues:

1. Overlooked Entrepreneurial Education: Traditional educational systems often focus solely on workforce preparation, neglecting early-onset entrepreneurial training crucial for economic independence and generational wealth-building, especially within BIPOC communities. Sown Emancipation fills this gap by providing structured curriculum and hands-on business experiences for youth aged 10-17.

2. Lack of Culturally Relevant Experiences: Many educational spaces lack cultural competence and fail to affirm the identities of Black and Afro-diasporic students. Sown Emancipation provides programming rooted in Blackness and diasporic connection, ensuring students see their heritage welcomed and celebrated.

3. Systemic Inequities and Achievement Gaps: Minnesota, in particular, has significant achievement gaps for students of color. Sown Emancipation aims to disrupt these by providing innovative interventions, accessible resources, and advocating for systemic changes through partnerships with schools, libraries, and community organizations.

4. Limited Access to Role Models and Resources: The program connects youth with Black business leaders as mentors, providing real-time guidance from idea to launch, and offers access to an ecosystem of providers, curriculum, and tools that existing school systems may lack.

What are Sown Emancipation's primary program offerings and activities for youth?

Sown Emancipation offers a range of programs and initiatives designed to cultivate young entrepreneurs:

1. Youth Entrepreneurship Business Fairs/Children's Business Fairs: These are main one-day events, offered several times a year, where young people can launch and sell their business ideas to real customers.

2. Kidtrepreneurship and Kid Business Essentials Workshops: These structured workshops provide foundational business knowledge, covering topics from financial literacy to developing business ideas.

3. Hydrate History Lemonade Stands: These events combine entrepreneurial practice with cultural awareness, allowing youth to sell flavored lemonade at community events, with proceeds supporting Sown Emancipation's programming.

4. "For us, by us" Black Youth Business Shark Tank Pitch Scholarship Competition: A platform for youth to develop and pitch their business ideas for scholarship opportunities.

5. College and Career Bootcamp: This program supports older youth (Juniors & Seniors) with college and career readiness, including scholarship databases, workshops, coaching, and application support, diversifying their post-secondary pathways beyond traditional academics.

How does Sown Emancipation generate revenue and sustain its operations?

Sown Emancipation employs a multi-pronged approach to funding and sustainability:

1. Product Sales: The organization started by selling machine-sewn Afrocentric products and continues to offer culturally centric school, home, and work wear, with proceeds directly supporting operations and seed projects.

2. Contracted Programs: They propose and sell workshops, programs, and events to schools, libraries, and community-based organizations. These include multi-week program packages (e.g., Tier 1, Tier 2, Tier 3) and one-time event participation.

3. Grants and Fiscal Sponsorships: Sown Emancipation actively seeks grants, such as the Northside Awesome Fund, and works with fiscal nonprofit sponsors like Relentless Academy.

4. Donations and Fundraising: They engage in fundraising efforts, including direct donations through their website and cash apps, as well as specific fundraising projects like the Hydrate History Juice Fundraiser Stands.

5. Sales and Registration Fees: While striving for free participation for youth, they have historically charged participation fees for some events (e.g., $50 per booth for Children's Business Fairs), which can also be covered by sponsorships.

6. Future Initiatives: Plans include launching a youth online store and a youth entrepreneur directory, and potentially a "Sowing Entrepreneurship Studio" for recurring classes and events.

What is the role of partnerships in Sown Emancipation's strategy?

Partnerships are fundamental to Sown Emancipation's operational model and impact:

1. Deep Engagement with Educational Ecosystem: They strategically "seed, plant, and sow partnerships within the MN Ed ecosystem," including schools, libraries, and school districts, believing that outcomes are best accomplished through collaboration.

2. Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs): Explicit and proactive MOUs are used to strengthen partnerships and ensure clear outcomes with school teams.

3. Leveraging Existing Infrastructure: By partnering with publicly funded educational settings, Sown Emancipation aims to ensure these institutions work effectively for all students, particularly those who have been marginalized. They provide "ready-made" programming and services to integrate directly into existing school and community programs.

4. Community and Professional Networks: The organization seeks to collaborate with current and past fellows, mentors (including millionaires), and other community leaders to synergize and amplify efforts, providing a broader network of support for youth.

What unique approach does Sown Emancipation take compared to traditional entrepreneurship programs?

Sown Emancipation distinguishes itself through several innovative aspects:

1. Culturally Centered: It "centers Black youth as creators of economic change" by integrating culturally relevant learning and fostering pride in Black and Afro-diasporic heritage.

2. Trauma-Informed Coaching: The program incorporates trauma-informed practices, acknowledging and addressing the unique challenges and experiences of the youth they serve.

3. Real-World Business Application: Unlike programs that focus on hypothetical projects, Sown Emancipation empowers teens to launch and manage real businesses, providing seed funding and hands-on learning from idea to launch.

4. Community-Centered Impact: The impact extends beyond individual success to spark community pride, create local jobs, and shift economic power within marginalized communities, aiming to break cycles of poverty and build generational wealth.

5. Early-Onset Focus: Challenging traditional norms, Sown Emancipation emphasizes early entrepreneurial training for youth, recognizing the disproportionately older average age of Black business ownership and the importance of early intervention.

Who founded Sown Emancipation, and what is their background and motivation?

Sown Emancipation was founded by Maliza Kalema, a Howard University graduate with extensive experience in education, community access programming, and charter school management. Her motivation stems from firsthand experiences witnessing the lack of resources and mentorship for Black youth with entrepreneurial ideas, and her own journey navigating entrepreneurship as a Black woman.

Maliza's background includes serving as a Career and College coordinator in Minneapolis high schools, where she secured significant funding for senior classes, and as Assistant Director of Multicultural Recruitment at the University of Minnesota, leading efforts to recruit the "largest and most diverse undergraduate class." She is driven by core values of equity, resilience, and community, and seeks to provide "self-preserving tooling" for marginalized individuals in often toxic professional landscapes, ultimately fostering "emancipative mobility" through education and enterprise.

What are Sown Emancipation's long-term goals and aspirations?

Sown Emancipation has ambitious long-term goals aimed at systemic change and expanded impact:

1. Scaling Youth Entrepreneurship: Their goal for 2024 is to fund 36 youth-led businesses to become legal entities each year and to host at least 100 youth in workshops, leading to a target of 36 businesses showcased at community events.

2. Establishing a Dedicated Studio: They aspire to open their own commercial space called the "Sowing Entrepreneurship Studio," envisioning it like a dance studio with weekly classes, recitals, and competitions, and expanding revenue streams.

3. Technological Integration: The organization is developing an EdTech platform to better partner with school districts, aiming for more efficient operations, digital literacy development, and seamless workflow for scaling resources and services.

4. Addressing Systemic Inequities: Beyond individual business success, Sown Emancipation seeks to build a movement of "educational emancipation and socioeconomic mobility" for Afro-Diasporic youth, disrupting historical and present inequities across the Minnesota educational ecosystem through partnership, technological efficiency, increased access, engagement, and inclusion.

5. Financial Sustainability: Goals include building a robust funding pipeline to raise significant capital, diversifying revenue streams, and ensuring the organization's long-term financial health to support its expansive vision.