10 Ideas to Close the Achievement Gap Compete for $10,000

11 October 2016

PitchNOLA: Education 2015, Paris Woods pitches her winning venture College Beyond.

Propeller and 4.0 Schools announce the 10 semi-finalists for PitchNOLA: Education, a pitch competition for ideas to reduce or eliminate education disparities for at-risk and underserved New Orleanians.

Semi-finalists will compete for a total of $10,000 in start-up funding provided by the Walton Family Foundation. The competition will take place from 6:00–8:00 p.m. on Thursday, November 3, 2016 at the Propeller Incubator (4035 Washington Avenue). Tickets are free and open to the community on Eventbrite.

Following introductions by guest speaker Alvin David (Director of Strategic Initiatives, Recovery School District), prizes will be awarded by a panel of judges including Krystal Hardy Allen (former Principal, Sylvanie Williams College Prep), Alberta Wright (past PitchNOLA winner and founder, Young Creative Agency), and Derek Wilder (student, Edna Karr High School).

PitchNOLA: Education 2016 Semi-Finalists:

Culture Chest (Rose Espiritu), a monthly subscription service delivering cultural experiences and educational resources to the doorsteps of teachers and early learners.

Electric Girls (Flor Serna, Maya Ramos) develops New Orleans-area girls into confident leaders and role models in technology by creating a community where girls can learn STEM skills with and from each other.

Gigsy (Robert Warren) grows a diverse community of professional photographers through work and youth mentorship opportunities.

IT’S LIT: Words on Ice (Doug Keller & Aubrey Edwards), a youth-designed, -built, and staffed mobile youth writing center and sno-ball stand, intended to make creative writing opportunities accessible to New Orleans' young people year-round while providing teenagers with job opportunities.

MIC-AMPED (Le’Kedra Robertson, LaDonya Williams, Tyra Banks-Sterling), engages youth and community as generational poverty cycle breakers who serve as innovative generational wealth builders through arts, culture, and social entrepreneurship.

NOLA Future Educators (Meghan Mekita) recruits and trains the next generation of diverse New Orleans teachers while they are still in high school.

Overcoming Racism (Matthew Kincaid) develops anti-racist educators and equips them with the tools to train youth to be the agents of change and abolishers of racism.

Parents in Schools Leadership Project (Gina Womack, Ashana Bigard, Ruth Idakula, Sonji Hart) empowers parents and families to be more knowledgeable and active in their children’s education by teaching them to train each other, advocate for themselves, and direct policy change for education and juvenile justice reform.

RisingFoundations: Small Business Incubator (Kelly Orians & Derrick Perique), stops the cycle of incarceration by providing formerly incarcerated young adults with the education and resources to foster financial security through self-employment.

TrainingGrounds (Christine Neely & Melanie Richardson) provides evidence-informed educational programming to assist families and professionals with understanding how rich learning experiences and positive child-adult interactions in the first few years of life are instrumental to later success and overall child well-being.

ABOUT PITCHNOLA: EDUCATION
Now in its second year, PitchNOLA: Education 2016 is hosted by Propeller and 4.0 Schools and presented by the Walton Family Foundation, with support from the Patrick F. Taylor Foundation and the Kabacoff Family Foundation.