Last Sunday, 26 Jewish teenagers from across the Baltimore metropolitan area participated in the ninth annual “Social Innovation Fellowship Demo Day,” a “Shark Tank”–styled pitch competition at Towson University.
More than 100 people attended the event, including families, community members, mentors, and business and nonprofit leaders who served as judges.
At the Mar. 8 event, teens worked in seven teams, each developing an original social enterprise to address real-world challenges. Using the design thinking process, participants began by identifying a problem they care deeply about, researching root causes, speaking with potential users and developing innovative solutions.
By “Demo Day,” each team presented a developed prototype and delivered a professional pitch.
Each venture identified a Jewish value that shaped its mission and development process, including dchinuch (education), tzedek (justice) and acharayut (accountability).
The winning venture, Justice Bridge, developed a digital platform to make civic engagement more accessible for teens, including a website and resources simplifying complex government systems and empowering young people to participate in civic life.
Each teen on the winning team received a $50 prize, and all teams have the opportunity to continue developing their ventures with mentorship and guidance from program staff and community leaders.
The winning team included students who currently attend Beth Tfiloh Dahan Community School in Pikesville and Towson’s George Washington Carver Center for Arts and Technology.
This was the second year that 4Front worked in partnership with Towson University, specifically the College of Business and Economics, Department of Management, and Professor Jan Baum.
4Front is the local Jewish community’s teen initiative, managed by the Jewish Community Center and supported by The Associated, the Joseph & Harvey Meyerhoff Family Charitable Funds, and other local donors.
Throughout this fellowship — which runs annually from September through March- – teens engaged in entrepreneurship workshops, mentorship from community professionals, and experiential learning opportunities. The latter included a trip to New York City to observe innovation in action.
Since its establishment in 2015, 4Front has successfully connected more than 4,000 teens with meaningful Jewish educational experiences including signature programs like the Social Innovation Fellowship, provided training to youth professionals representing 25 local organizations, and offered support and educational experiences to more than 800 parents of adolescents.
The fellowship is one of 4Front’s signature programs that also include Diller Teen Fellows, Peer Leadership Fellows, Teen Service Council, and Social Innovation Fellowship.
Recruitment for these programs opens on Mar. 16 and closes on Apr. 26. 4Front encourages local Jewish teens who are rising 9-12 graders to apply.
For information and to apply, visit 4frontbaltimore.org
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