And the winner of the Social Entrepreneurship Award is...

The Cutting Edge (consisting of team members Joseph Mendez, Keon Clarke, Anja Wells, Darrell Dixon and Terry Berry) won 1st place - $500 seed money to begin their idea of starting a for-profit food truck by day and non-profit homeless eatery on wheels by night. One of the event judges was so impressed with passion of the 1st winner-up D.R.E.A.M. (comprised of team members Aaron Bell, Juwan Foster, Jermon Humphrey and Joseph Gobert-Blades) that he gifted $500 in start-up monies to the student business group to pursue their idea; their entrepreneurial creativity focused on high school students reaching their life’s dream with the support of mentors and personalized curriculum.

Thirty-six students from North Long Beach completed a 10-week intensive Social Entrepreneurship Program at David Starr Jordan High School during the 1st semester of the 2013-14 school year. Student business groups presented their business plans to local business owners and politicians highlighting the areas of marketing, research and financial projections. The Andy Street Community Association and California Bank & Trust provided the funding. The students were chosen from Jordan High School and Hamilton Middle School as a part of the Claremont–Long Beach Math Collaborative, a 5-year cohort that follows the academic progress & character development of the students.

The goal of the e3 Social Entrepreneurship Course is to empower middle and high school students to create and implement fiscally sustainable businesses. Curriculum design & teaching are provided by Unearth and Empower Communities, a non-profit organization that serves youth ages 5-23.