Focal Case Examples

This section revisits the focal case examples of the previous sections of the book and relates them to the topics covered in Section V: the SOUL Sisters Leadership Collective (SSLC) and the Cookie Cart. It also concludes and gives a generalised overall picture of the impact the two groups have on their respective communities. SSLC embodies “other ways of being with youth” for their partner agencies, which is a form of teaching and impact. As for Cookie Cart, they make an ongoing, intentional effort to be a connected member of their neighborhood.

Focal Case Examples

This part of the text revisits the focal case examples of the previous sections of the book and relates them to the topics covered in Section IV: the SOUL Sisters Leadership Collective (SSLC) and the Cookie Cart. In summarizes that while traditional entrepreneurship education has not been present within either SOUL Sisters or Cookie Cart programming, both have embraced entrepreneurial thinking within their youth program. Employment is a facet for Cookie Cart but not SSLC.

Focal Case Examples

This part of the text revisits the focal case examples of Section I of the book: the SOUL Sisters Leadership Collective (SSLC) and the Cookie Cart and relates them to the topics covered in Section II. Both SOUL Sisters and Cookie Cart operate within the broader macrosystem of youth culture, American education policy, and volatile economic and political climates. They aim to counter the numerous disempowering pressures affecting their involved youth by providing concrete opportunities to hold power.

Youth Social Entrepreneurship as Youth Development for All Youth

This chapter reviews the universal elements of positive youth development; that is, explicating the basic foundations of healthy development that are important for all youth, regardless of context or background. Developmental psychology serves as a primary source for the perspectives presented here. Among the key components of this discussion are the principles of the field, a review of relational development theory, and an overview of adolescent brain development. Specific frameworks are included, such as the Five C’s of youth development, social-emotional learning (SEL), and youth interests (sparks). While all of these components are influenced by the broader contexts and environments of the youth, the set of ideas included in this chapter applies to a somewhat decontextualized form of youth development theory as applied to the promise of youth social entrepreneurship.

The Problem in Youth Social Entrepreneurship

This chapter outlines central concerns to the book’s proposed model. This chapter highlights the lack of a clear definition and a common language to drive youth social entrepreneurship’s implementation and collaboration among stakeholders. It includes a review of original research into existing youth programs to suggest a typology within the youth social entrepreneurship field. Many example programs are described to help illustrate the suggested typology. Last, this chapter discusses the significant challenges to the measurement of youth social entrepreneurship’s impact and the noted necessity to identify evidence to move the field forward. Of particular note, the location-specificity for youth program effectiveness contributes to a lack of generalizability, an issue that needs to be resolved for measuring social impact of targeted practices.

The Asset-Focus of Youth Social Entrepreneurship

This chapter explores the “asset-based” frameworks in both positive youth development and community. This chapter also orients the reader to the link between youth social entrepreneurship’s grounding in the central theme of positive psychology: human flourishing. Instead of focusing on the incremental steps toward getting any job at all, the emphasis is on youth capacity for creating a positive career trajectory, supported by exposure to a breadth of opportunity instead of a narrow pipeline. To accomplish meaningful and authentic positivity, the cultural reality of each young person and each community must be included in the experience of development. Therefore, a review of culturally relevant pedagogies and the need for valuing cultural funds of knowledge is included. All together, the asset-focused, culturally relevant practices can foster youth leadership with social entrepreneurship that paves a road toward thriving.

Youth Social Entrepreneurship Preparation, Education, and Advocacy

This chapter focuses on the need to prepare future researchers and practitioners to continue the growth of the youth social entrepreneurship model. More specifically, this chapter explores the contexts and constituents most ripe for integrating youth social entrepreneurship terminology, concepts, and practical components, as well as for growing the field through strategic and feasible scaffolding efforts. Current, promising examples illustrate the means to this goal, while more general principles are offered in order to transcend time and place. The aim is to communicate both singular and specific opportunities for advancing this work, as well as the broad interconnectedness of education, professional development, philanthropy, and policy that can be unified toward youth social entrepreneurship advocacy.

Focal Case Examples

This short chapter revisits the focal case examples of Sections I and II of the book and relates them to the topics covered in Section III: the SOUL Sisters Leadership Collective (SSLC) and the Cookie Cart. Cookie Cart, the text here concludes, is especially focused on building individual financial assets. By contrast, SOUL Sisters, is less oriented towards economic capital opportunities, but focuses instead on social and cultural capital development.

Youth Cultures and Contexts

This chapter examines the most relevant youth contexts in the United States at this socio-historical point in time. To do so with any accuracy requires drawing on multiple fields of inquiry—youth contexts are not solely the study of developmental scientists. Thus, this chapter reviews prominent theories of cultural theorists, sociologists, educational researchers, and political scientists to establish a depiction of the contemporary American youth context. The aim is a macro-level view of the policies and practices influencing the individual youth micro-level, including the reader’s frame of reference. A brief examination of current cultural narratives about young people can inform analysis about limiting parameters: youth who lead social change are often portrayed as either “cute” or “dangerous,” with both views disparaging their efforts and undermining their credible power.

Focal Case Examples

This part of the book of the book introduces the text's two focal case examples which are examined after each section. Case 1 is about the SOUL Sisters Leadership Collective (SSLC). The primary purpose of SOUL Sisters is social change in the lives of their targeted community, which is system-involved girls and women of color. Case 2 is focused on Cookie Cart, which teaches youth social entrepreneurship. There is a short summary of each organization at the end of this first examination of the case examples.