CityWide Youth Development, a local non-profit focusing on economic empowerment, recently moved their operations into the building at 240 W Dickman Street in Port Covington.
CityWide Youth Development provides entrepreneurship education, vocational skill training, and enterprise development through their two signature programs: Frozen Desert Sorbet and Apparel Workforce Development. Frozen Desert Sorbet is a program that teaches participants how to make sorbet using all fresh ingredients, then allows them to put entrepreneurship into practice by managing sorbet carts throughout the city. In addition to learning about the production, they also participate in workshops in entrepreneurship, budgeting, and finance. The Apparel Workforce Development program teaches screen-printing, embroidering, and garment construction through the creation of the Made in Bmore clothing line. CityWide Youth Development has partnered with the Under Armour Lighthouse to offer a 12-week program where participants will learn the basics of apparel manufacturing and garment construction training for two days out of the week at UA Lighthouse, and three days at 240 W Dickman Street.
Sagamore Ventures was first introduced to CityWide Youth Development in 2016, and the groups have been exploring ways to collaborate ever sinc e. When office and production space became available in the property at 240 W Dickman Street, Sagamore Ventures and Sagamore Development offered the space to CityWide Youth Development to use at no charge.
“It’s probably one of the most awesome things that has ever happened for us, that they give us the creative freedom to be able to really express ourselves,” said Rasheed Aziz, Executive Director of CityWide Youth Development. “The donated space really is giving us an opportunity to scale up our programming, increase our outreach and increase our access to funding.”
Currently, roughly 35 people are working out of the space at 240 W Dickman Street every day.
Keep up with CityWide Youth Development on Facebook.
