Bet on Baltimore Yr 3 Final Report

Abstract

Bet on Baltimore is a summer youth development program with a focus on creativity, making, and entrepreneurship created by Dent Education in 2017 and designed for Baltimore City public high school students. The goals are to engage high school students in Baltimore in meaningful work, leadership, and personal development activities and, according to the program’s developers, to “catalyze student potential and prepare them to create impact and value in a 21st century economy.” Dent Education’s mission is to “promote equity by empowering under-resourced youth to discover and develop their innate creative potential to shape the world around them.” Through its curriculum, Dent Education seeks to introduce students to the creative problem-solving process of design thinking, maker skills, and the experience of entrepreneurship and networking. Students explore community issues and business challenges, meet with community and business professionals, learn new skills such as 3D printing and music production, and work to create their own social or business enterprise. During the summer of 2020, 10 cohorts of students (n = 138) participated in Bet on Baltimore through a five-week paid summer job opportunity funded by YouthWorks. The cohorts focused in the following areas: Graphic Design, Recording Studio, Social Innovation, Start-up Garage, Web Design, and Made@Dent. The five-week session culminated in a virtual showcase, where students presented their ideas and shared lessons learned for an online audience of more than 300 people. During the summer of 2020, 20 coaches (2 per site) led students through the program with the support of four site supporters and four Fellows.