The Disruptors Blog by Paul Wilson Jr.

A Dream Preferred: Young Community Leaders Use Ice Cream for Change

8/3/2015

If you only pay attention to mainstream media outlets, you will only get a distorted, narrow, and negative image of young people from urban communities. This powerful story of Taharka Bros. Ice Cream in Baltimore is a great example of young leaders from an urban community turning their passion and concern into positive action that will not only benefit themselves but others also. What excites me even more about this story is the entrepreneurial creativity, ingenuity, and perseverance they demonstrated to bring into reality their dream of impacting their community through ice cream. I hope this inspires you...

A DREAM PREFERRED - Directed by Rachel Grady and Heidi Ewing from Tribeca Film on Vimeo.

The future of Taharka Brothers, purveyors of ice cream and social change, hinges on the success of a crowdfunding campaign. If successful, they will be able to grow their business by launching a “Food for Thought” ice cream truck, a literal vehicle for change. With a looming deadline, and what seems like an insurmountable goal: $28,000 in 29 days, Taharka Brothers takes to the streets to raise awareness, inspire, and turn out some supremely delicious ice cream – voted Best in Baltimore.

Click here to read more about Taharka Brothers...

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How A Youth Business Training Became a Millennial Focus Group for Community Transformation

7/21/2015

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If you have been working in ministry or the community for any amount of time it is not uncommon for God to work in ways that are not necessarily mysterious, but are definitely unexpected. Recently, I was facilitating a youth business training with Greater Works Vocational Discipleship Program for a group of at-risk youth in Atlanta.

I had my lesson plan laid out to teach them how to start a purpose driven business. However, I found as I was going through my curriculum, it was not connecting with them. I tried different "trainer techniques" to get them to engage, but nothing seemed to work.

It wasn't until I started focusing more on asking them questions than teaching content did I start to make a connection. I began inquiring about the problems they saw in their communities and the causes they believed were the culprits.

The energy in the room skyrocketed when I became the student and I opened myself to be taught by them. At that moment I had two choices: 1) stick to what I had planned to teach them, or 2) become a sponge so that I could better determine how best to reach them based on what they were facing. Fortunately, I chose the latter.

So what began as a youth entrepreneurship training became a millennial focus group for community transformation. It was very revealing what they saw as the issues and causes in their own communities, as well as some of the potential solutions. The top 4 issues they listed were:

Crime
Drugs
Teen pregnancy
Police brutality

While everything didn't come out of their mouths with clarity or realistic solutions, it was extremely refreshing to hear their passion and concern for where they live. Teens do care deeply about the communities they live in. However, they often struggle with the communication skills and other tools to bring needed transformation. Further, they often lack the mentors that are necessary to lead them through the process.

That's why we need more Joshua's to lead the younger generation to their promise land. Sometimes it's easy for adults to talk at or over teenagers without really talking to them to hear their perspectives. With the complex issues that we are facing our communities these days, it behooves all of us to seek wisdom from whatever source God may bring it.

You can learn more about how Kinsman Community Ministries is working with youth to transform their communities through social enterprises at www.mykinsman.org/youth.

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7 Shifts as Generation Y Becomes Generation Z

7/13/2015

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Tim Elmore, one of the foremost experts in youth development, has written a powerful article, Seven Shifts as Generation Z Becomes Generation Y. In this article he explains what's happening with the "next" generation of kids as they morph into adulthood, and shift away from old realities into new ones. Here are a few of his points...

1. Confidence is morphing into caution.
A kid who grew up between 1990 and 2000 had a very different experience than a kid who grew up between 2005 and 2015. In the 1990s, America’s economy was expanding, the dot.com era was birthed, clean-cut boy bands hit the pop charts, and soccer mom’s became a voting demographic. In contrast, the last ten years have seen economic recession, terrorism, racial unrest, rising debt, and gender confusion, among other issues. The average student today has a different perception of reality than students before them, one that is potentially more cautious in nature.

2. Idealism is morphing into pragmatism.
Ten years ago, Generation Y reported that it was very common for them to get anything they wanted—the new iPhone, Abercrombie and Fitch jeans, a tablet, tattoos or piercings. Today, money is a bit tighter and there’s been a 400% increase in multi-generational households. (Which means people often have to share space and resources.) Slowly, millions of adolescents have shifted into a world that is not about them. Many are forced to think practically and to think ahead. Optimism can become cynicism.

3. Attaining an education is morphing into hacking one.
As Generation Y graduated from high school, it was the norm to apply to multiple universities in hot pursuit of a liberal arts education. Parents told them, “If you’re going to be successful, you have to go to college.” Today, more and more grads don’t assume this to be true. They’ve found they can “hack” their way through their preparation for a career, mixing free Ivy League school classes with online certificates and real world experience. Kids see their older siblings paralyzed by debt, and they don’t want it.

These are some great points for those who want to understand and serve those in the millennial generation.

Read the entire article at: http://growingleaders.com/blog/seven-shifts-as-generation-y-becomes-generation-z

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What to Do When God Causes You to Make a Hard Right Turn

6/24/2015

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I recently had the opportunity to have a repeat appearance on the Success Edge Podcast hosted by Tyler McCart. This is a great resource for young or new Christian entrepreneurs.

In a recent blog post, Fearlessly All In for Our Youth, I discussed how God was moving me in a new business and ministry direction related to dealing with millennial leaders. In this podcast you will hear about how God has taken me on a whole new adventure in the marketplace that I never thought or dreamed would be a full-time assignment. Hopefully this will inspire and motivate you to be willing to take that new direction that God is calling you toward. Enjoy!

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN

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