Venture Field: Education

Year of Venture Launch: 2006

Name: Jason Role in the Venture: Founder, Executive Director, Tutor

Venture Description: Bridge Education is a non-profit organization completely led by students that provides high quality SAT preparation and college counseling services to students with demonstrated need. Our tutors work one on one with students to meet their unique needs. By preparing students for life after high school, Bridge Education improves students' opportunities for college admissions, helps students qualify for critical scholarships and grants and improves students' attitudes towards education. Bridge Education will help more than 100 students in its first six months of operation and is constantly expanding to other high schools.

Venture Origin: Is it right for a teenager to be unable to spell "ball"? After witnessing academic disparities firsthand, I knew I had to contribute to society and try to remedy the educational achievement gap. The SAT is a stumbling block for low-income students who can't afford expensive tutoring, so I decided to help these students succeed on the SAT.

Innovation: Bridge Education is unique for two reasons. Firstly, we offer SAT prep at no cost yet provide the highest quality materials and tutors. Our tutors are nationally recognized for their PSAT and SAT performances. Secondly, we are purely student led aside from guidance offered by our two campus sponsors. As a student led non-profit organization, we tackle the educational achievement gap distinctly.

Impact

Impact: With more than 100 individuals affected in its first six operational months, Bridge Education is set to establish itself as a community cornerstone. Our students have cumulatively achieved thousands of points on the SAT and are currently being admitted into their universities of choice. The most valuable impact, however, is undoubtedly demonstrated in the lively spirits and positive attitudes with which our graduates approach the SAT and college.

Engagement with the community: Appearing in local media outlets has shined more light on the educational achievement gap and drawn more people to act. Furthermore, we have partnered with Wal-Mart and Barnes and Noble to earn donations of books, binders and dividers to provide to our students.

Impact and engagement progress since launch: Since launching we have raised SAT scores, taught countless students about the college admissions process, helped students earn scholarships to pay for college and improved the status of our community as a more educated and equitable environment. We constantly try to improve through our feedback system and Executive Board meetings.

Impact and engagement strategy: In order to impact and engage more people in the future, Bridge Education is expanding to more schools and rejuvenating its publicity campaign. By making services available at more schools we will have a broader scope and can eventually offer test preparation services beyond those for the SAT. Also by expanding our business and community partnerships, our organization will spread its impact.

Awards: Recognized by Daytona Beach News Journal Recognized by Spruce Creek High School News & Views

Budget

Amount of Youth Venture seed grant: $840

Money raised: We have raised approximately $200 since earning the seed grant through partnerships with Wal-mart and Barnes & Noble.

Creative ways of raising resources: To secure donations, we have pursued media appearances that attract business partners. At the home school, we ran a book drive to take books off the hands of students who did not need them anymore and re-allocate them to students who desperately needed SAT preparation materials.

Strategy

Expansion plan for next 6 months: For the next 6 months we plan to publicize our organization and meet with guidance counselors and teachers at other high schools. We will continue to assist them in building business relationships and developing an effective student-led organization.

Plans for sustaining the project: To ensure that Bridge Education continues in the future, we are managing financial and logistical issues. Our business partnerships will continue funding the venture for advertising opportunities that we offer. Also, we are training underclassmen with demonstrated potential to lead Bridge next year.

Vision for three years from now: Three years from now, Bridge Education should be helping students across the world. Each student who wishes to succeed on the SAT and in college admissions should have access to Bridge Education materials and instruction. We'd like to offer preparation for not only the SAT, but also SAT subject tests and the ACT, two other critical components of college admissions.

Project impact: Bridge Education has made life easier for the people in our community by sending qualified students to college, earning these students well-deserved scholarships and educating our constituency. Kids from poor families do not have to empty their piggy banks for preparation services—or much worse, bypass the opportunity to prepare for college altogether. Also, the scholarships our students qualify for reduces the need to work while going to college, thus allowing students to focus on school instead of a job. Balancing school with work places an unfair burden on some students; we do our best to place students with demonstrated need on a fair playing field with students from affluent backgrounds. Students in the Bridge program and their parents do not have to labor through the tedious and frequently esoteric process of college applications alone. Bridge tutors walk their students through the process and answer tough questions. College—from test preparation to financial aid— is challenging and frightening, but Bridge Education connects students to success and peace of mind through our comprehensive program.

Youth Venture movement - what it means and how you can contribute: Although a force of its own, Bridge Education is excited to be a part of the Youth Venture movement and partner with other ventures in improving society on all fronts. Our team promotes Youth Venture by encouraging peers to apply for grants and get involved through forums and leadership training. One student who graduated from our program went on to apply for a grant on behalf of his socially-conscious publication group, Youth in Color. We realize that if all possible leaders fulfilled their potential, our world would have fewer plagues through this platform of universal action and problem-solving. Also, Bridge Education looks forward to sharing ideas and strategies with fellow ventures so that we all may learn from one another and strengthen our collective efforts.

Author:
Jason
United States