WHO WE ARE
The NEXT Steps Youth Entrepreneur Training Program (NSYEP) is becoming one of the
most successful “at risk” youth business development educational programs in the
Metro Atlanta Area. We provide real-time instruction to youth in low-income, high
poverty communities on how to develop business plans, coordinate special events,
conduct S.T.E.M.-based investigate research and discovery activities and engage in
community service via urban gardening and farming in the spirit of social
entrepreneursim.
History of NSYEP
As Told by Dana Jewel Harris, NSYEP Founder
The NEXT Steps Youth Entrepreneur Program was developed from a conversation I had
with a prominent leader of the NAACP Atlanta Chapter. He spoke of the lack of interest
and involvement younger generations had when it came to joining or learning about the
mission of the NAACP. He also expressed concerns about their inability to effectively
communicate and garner respect for the experiences and hardships our elders endured
to win the Civil Rights Movement. We agreed that even though the message of the
NAACP was the same, the problems were more rooted in the NAACP’s delivery of that
message – it had not evolved with the changes and technological trends of today’s
society. Their outdated communication model inevitably created a communication gap
that has resulted in the continuous intergenerational breakdown of our family structure.
It has also hampered our ability to create or continue traditions that once kept our
families closely knit.
My solution was simply to develop a communication platform that would re-introduce the
mission of the NAACP and mobilize younger generations to become actively involved in
gaining business management skills and an environmental consciousness in order to
positively contribute towards creating a higher quality of life for their families,
neighborhoods and communities. Hence, the NEXT Steps (NAACP Extended Steps)
Youth Entrepreneur Program was born.
most successful “at risk” youth business development educational programs in the
Metro Atlanta Area. We provide real-time instruction to youth in low-income, high
poverty communities on how to develop business plans, coordinate special events,
conduct S.T.E.M.-based investigate research and discovery activities and engage in
community service via urban gardening and farming in the spirit of social
entrepreneursim.
History of NSYEP
As Told by Dana Jewel Harris, NSYEP Founder
The NEXT Steps Youth Entrepreneur Program was developed from a conversation I had
with a prominent leader of the NAACP Atlanta Chapter. He spoke of the lack of interest
and involvement younger generations had when it came to joining or learning about the
mission of the NAACP. He also expressed concerns about their inability to effectively
communicate and garner respect for the experiences and hardships our elders endured
to win the Civil Rights Movement. We agreed that even though the message of the
NAACP was the same, the problems were more rooted in the NAACP’s delivery of that
message – it had not evolved with the changes and technological trends of today’s
society. Their outdated communication model inevitably created a communication gap
that has resulted in the continuous intergenerational breakdown of our family structure.
It has also hampered our ability to create or continue traditions that once kept our
families closely knit.
My solution was simply to develop a communication platform that would re-introduce the
mission of the NAACP and mobilize younger generations to become actively involved in
gaining business management skills and an environmental consciousness in order to
positively contribute towards creating a higher quality of life for their families,
neighborhoods and communities. Hence, the NEXT Steps (NAACP Extended Steps)
Youth Entrepreneur Program was born.
| Students from our 2010 Herb & Farm Summer Training Program at the Metro Atlanta Urban Farm (College Park, GA) In partnership with the Mayor's Youth Program & Georgia Teen Works Program |
| DONATE NOW |
| VOLUNTEER TODAY |
| JOIN US NOW |
| YOUR CALL TO ACTION! |
| Download our FY2011-2014 Action Plan |
NSYEP is a 501c3 tax exempt non-profit organization and
A service program of the
National Black Men's Health Network
A service program of the
National Black Men's Health Network
| Email: djharris@nextstepsyep.org 678-570-00398 ph / 678-829-1490 fax www.nextstepsyep.org |
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