New Avenue Inc. was founded in St. Louis, MO with the vision to help the community learn various forms of life skills used to become better individuals and successful business owners. They are a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to the mental, spiritual, physical, and financial enrichment of families and youth.

VentureLab’s youth entrepreneurship materials were used during an 8-week-long summer camp for kindergarteners through 6th graders. In the first 4 weeks of camp, they implemented the ESTEAM Design Challenge program, and in the second 4 weeks, they implemented the Idea to Pitch program.

New Avenue Inc. ran the camp at Gamers Island, a family-friendly gaming community center located in Ferguson, Missouri. And thanks to the generous support of the Employees Community Fund of Boeing for providing a full program scholarship.

Educator Highlight

Starting each day with a mindset word, for students of all ages, became a routine during New Avenue’s summer camp.” We tell them to make sure they incorporate that mindset for the whole day,” Ms. Aaliyah shared, “Whether they’re playing a game or if they’re outside, we tell them to use the mindset.”

They took their initial mix-up as an opportunity to grow, and their leadership inspired the students to be leaders.

In a follow-up call Ms. Ashley shared, “The students are encouraging each other, especially the older group, more than what I expected. If they see someone being negative, they’ll redirect them back to the word of the day. They’ve been doing that a lot, and we’ve been giving them prizes.”

Educators with an Embracing Failure mindset are willing to learn to work through difficult moments and view failure as an opportunity to grow and learn something new. VentureLab is proud to recognize Aaliyah’s and Ashley’s entrepreneurial spirit and dedication to empowering young innovators.

Student Impact

After the program, 92% of students reported an increased interest in STEM and 85% increased failure resiliency. New Avenue Inc. was provided a full report based on the data collected at the end of the program using VentureLab’s survey tools.

Unique Program Feature: Teen Leaders

New Avenue made it a priority to involve the local youth by bringing teen leaders into the program. These dynamic teens didn’t just observe; they led activities right alongside the primary educators.

One of these teens, Rayonna, excelled in her role. She earned a VentureLab training certificate and was hands-on with the students throughout the summer camp. Rayonna said of the program, “Entrepreneurial learning enhances the skills the youth need to become leaders and entrepreneurs.”

Another teen, Jada, showed remarkable commitment. He participated in professional development calls, and Tashuana, the Chairwoman, shared, “Jada gets really, really into the program. He gets really excited when he sees the things that the students make.”

These near peer experiences are invaluable. They offer positive role models for the younger participants. Seeing someone close to their age successfully lead and engage fosters a sense of community and demonstrates leadership in a relatable way that resonates with the kids.

Culminating Event 

New Avenue Inc. celebrated innovation with a pitch event where students’ families got a front-row seat to witness their children’s growth.

The community event provided a platform for the students to showcase their entrepreneurial ideas and skills in front of a supportive audience. The event was a celebration of the meaningful skill building and increase in confidence the students achieved through the VentureLab program.

About ESTEAM Design Challenges & Ideas to Pitch

The ESTEAM® Design Challenges take students through the design thinking process, which is a creative problem solving process that begins with empathy. Educators begin and end the session with a discussion on creativity, problem solving, and empathy. Students are presented with a real-world challenge, rapidly brainstorm and prototype, and end by pitching their product or service idea.

The Idea to Pitch Program includes training, custom schedule, curriculum resources, an activation materials kit, ongoing support, and data reporting. Youth move through the full entrepreneurship cycle from brainstorming to pitching. With the Idea to Pitch Program, students grow their entrepreneurial mindsets and skills as they apply their passions and strengths to identify opportunities to creatively solve problems, develop their solution into a business, and pitch the idea.

From the first brainstorm to the final pitch, these young entrepreneurs demonstrated remarkable growth in creativity, resilience, and problem-solving—core mindsets that will serve them well beyond the classroom. We’re proud to partner with New Avenue and our community allies to empower students to turn ideas into action.

Do you want similar outcomes for your staff and students?

Schedule an exploratory call with Scott Mann, our Director of Education, or contact us about your needs.

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