Jonathan Schultz

Mission: Through high-caliber professional development and hands-on learning in a Prodigy enterprise, young adults develop mindsets and skills for sustainable careers, economic mobility and, most importantly, to go forth and enrich their city. Roots: Prodigy was founded by a group of educators and youth development leaders working with low-income youth in DPS on career development. We have just begun the start-up process for a new social enterprise network in Denver, Prodigy Ventures, that has a unique twist: blending supported workplace with high-impact intentionally-designed classroom, where low-income youth learn enduring and transferable understandings for success in the workplace, all while getting paid. Our first enterprise opens in 2016, Prodigy Coffeehouse. Low-income youth and young adults complete a high-standards Professional Development program taught by educators and business mentors, work in the enterprise, are cross-trained in all aspects of operations and run the enterprise. Next step: youth train a new cohort to take over coffeehouse and undertake all aspects of start-up process for next enterprise.