On December 15th, 2022, over 400 LAUSD inner-city students attended the Future Entrepreneurs Conference at West Los Angeles College hosted by PVJOBS.
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PVJOBS’s Future Entrepreneurs Conference featured eight high-powered speakers to teach and inspire inner-city youth to build successful business skills for the road ahead. From brand development to motivational talks, PVJOBS’ Future Entrepreneurs Conference provided invaluable entrepreneurial guidance so that each attendee could have the opportunity to start their own business.
Empowering Inner-City Youth Through Knowledge
As of 2021, nearly 11 million children are raised in poverty across the United States.
With minimal access to quality education, basic needs (food and shelter) and increased rates of violence and sickness, inner-city children and teens are less likely to succeed than those raised in the middle class and above.
PVJOBS understood that the most meaningful way to inspire young adults is by showing them successful individuals who were raised in similar circumstances. Each speaker showed that success isn’t just a faint hope — it’s a reality. Through dedication and motivation, each speaker persevered to drastically change their life for the better.
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The speakers included David Shands, RaShine Mitchell, Milan Rouge, Cory Arvinger, Lemeir Mitchell, Donni Wiggins, Vladimir Bautista and Felicia Carbajal. Each speaker gave personal stories to relate with the attendees — most of whom have been raised in similar circumstances of poverty.
Below, we’ll highlight critical moments at PVJOBS’ Future Entrepreneurs Conference.
Showing Inner-City Youth the Path to Success
PVJOBS’ Future Entrepreneurs Conference sought to show students a bright and fulfilling path through entrepreneurship. Each of the eight speakers left attendees with inspirational stories that aimed to motivate their will to succeed.
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For example, David Shands discussed how it’s necessary to become exceptional at your craft. Whether you’re a construction worker or an artist, standing out from the crowd is a crucial building block to receiving better pay or starting your own business one day.
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RaShine “Pushman Mitch” Mitchell detailed how he began his luxury car and real estate rental business with simple arithmetic. Although the examples seemed basic, they illuminated how easy it is to transform small amounts of capital into substantial sums through impactful business models.
Milan Rouge, founder of Milano Di Rouge, discussed how she didn’t aspire towards her goals until she saw other women like her succeed. In doing so, she detailed the dilemma that millions of underprivileged youth experience of lacking role models to inspire them to persevere.
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Lemeir Mitchell, founder of Happy Ice, gave one of the most remarkable talks of the conference by telling the audience to ground themselves by building a connection to faith. Furthermore, he detailed that showing appreciation throughout life will always inspire others to support you and your goals.
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The event was filled with passionate and lively talks by Donni Wiggins and Corey Arvinger. Each showed the audience that it’s possible to start from nothing and achieve financial wealth by following simple tips for personal branding and business strategy.
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After lunch Soulja Boy took the stage and performed for the kids.
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PVJOBS Unveils Cannabis Job Pathway at Future Entrepreneurs Conference
The event held a special moment in which PVJOBS unveiled their new cannabis pathway in conjunction with two cannabis industry advocates at the Future Entrepreneurs Conference.
Vladimir Bautista of Happy Munkey talked about the disenfranchisement of people of color in the cannabis industry. By educating the youth on such an essential up-and-coming industry, Bautista illuminated a new path toward success in the medical or recreational marijuana industry in legal states.
Continuing along the cannabis path, Felicia Carbajal discussed cannabis advocacy, LGBTQ rights and restorative justice for people of color. Like Bautista’s panel, Carbajal’s presentation highlighted how upcoming entrepreneurs of color could create significant change within their community by joining the cannabis industry.
What is PVJOBS?
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PVJOBS is a nonprofit corporation that provides at-risk youth, formerly incarcerated individuals, veterans and others with career opportunities in the Los Angeles region.
PVJOBS aims to reduce poverty and violence by helping individuals gain meaningful employment at the local, state and federal levels. PVJOBS is an essential building block to empowering impoverished communities and individuals, from project labor agreements to entrepreneurship events like the Future Entrepreneur Conference.
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Mary Taylor leads PVJOBS — a tour de force constantly coordinating efforts between volunteers and the organization’s workforce plans. At the recent Future Entrepreneurs Conference, Taylor stunned attendees when she announced that they would all receive a $100 gift card.
Ultimately, Taylor and PVJOBS are on a mission to provide at-risk individuals with lasting and meaningful opportunities for a brighter future.
Check out the full event recap.
