YOUTHTANK'S MISSION:
To empower Detroit Youth to be leaders in the innovation economy, through paid opportunities to work with real companies where they can gain the skills and confidence they need to succeed.
GUIDING VALUES:
FOR YOUTH BY YOUTH
Call it our slogan, maxim, a cultural value - at YouthTank Detroit, it's ride or die. As co-founders, board members, program designers, interns, teachers, learners, and fundraisers - young entrepreneurs are always in YouthTank's driver’s seat.
WORK TO LEARN
It's how we do school at YouthTank Detroit because young Detroit residents face significant obstacles to complete their degree. Rather than ask high school students to learn now so they can work later, we make the real world the classroom.
CREATE TO CONNECT
Our Entrepreneurial Process creates and derives from relationships that foster Care, Joy and Opportunity, while transcending divisions between different people, places, economic sectors, organizations and ideas.
IMPOWER TO IMPACT
At YouthTank, we are very entrepreneurial about trying new ways to widen access for the city's young talent to gain the experience + skills + networks + self-realization to be the change they want to see in their own lives and in the world.
Movements happen at
the speed of relationships.
Peer Leadership
YouthTank's Summer Leadership Team includes three tiers of youth who learned inclusive and social change leadership practices and project management skills.
Junior Program Director and CMU'24 Entrepreneurship Major Deja Granger reflects on her leadership role.
High School entrepreneurs rise to team leadership as they problem solve.
College Seniors are Junior Program Directors organizing tasks and activities.
As Lead Interns, young college students mentor high school entrepreneurs and help Program Directors operate programs.