Giving underserved kids a Second-to-None (220) Life

We're empowering educators to help their students close the gap between where they are today and their 220 Life.

THE PROBLEM

The two universal problems with education today are Access and Quality.

Access

As mentioned by the Challenge, over 200 million eligible youth are not enrolled in school, and less than 10% of the world’s population holds a college degree that qualifies them for work that can generate a meaningful quality of life for themselves and their families.

To solve the issue of Access, not only do we need to increase the supply of teachers, we need to transform formal education by providing more targeted, accelerated pathways to work and self-sufficiency.

Quality

Even those that have access to education are not being sufficiently prepared for the workforce, let alone for the rate of anticipated disruption from innovation to existing jobs and industries, and the increasing life expectancy moving us toward 100 year careers.

The current strategy is to teach students a generalized education to meet a generalized set of standards that cannot keep up with the continuously changing demands of the workforce.

Instead of hoping students will learn the intangible skills they need to become contributing citizens and lifelong learners, education should be focused on intentionally teaching these skills through experiential and project-based learning.

SOLUTION

We supply teachers and educators with a platform to transform student learning into a personalized, project-based, real world education through the context of each student’s compelling future- what we call their 220 or Second(2)-To(2)-None(0) Life.

We partner with schools and youth-serving organizations to provide strategic consulting, professional development, in-person and virtual trainings, and blended learning; all designed to help each student they serve:

• Discover their unique values, talents and passions

• Create a vision for their future that maximizes these values, talents and passions

• Learn the psychology, strategies and intangible skills needed to make this vision a reality

• Practice through project-based, experiential learning

Access: Teachers and educators use our platform to more effectively help students create a meaningful life, which should be the primary motivation for becoming an educator. The more meaningful lives teachers and educators help students create, the more attractive it becomes to educate. Our platform can also serve as an accelerated alternative to train educators compared to traditional methods that require degrees or certifications.

Quality: The role of the teacher/educator becomes to empower student learning by supporting the completion of practical, real-world projects and experiences. Students learn the creativity, teamwork, problem-solving and critical thinking skills they need to realize their 220 Life.

Through our platform and methodology, teachers and educators are creating the next wave of game-changing social entrepreneurs, philanthropists, innovators, global leaders, and artistic creators that otherwise would have settled for less.

CHANGE THE WORLD?

The world is made up of communities, communities are made up of individuals.

By empowering stronger individuals through a more personalized, purposeful education, the next generation will be more equipped to help the world attack some of its greatest challenges including poverty, violence, political instability, education and environmental conservation.

Stronger individuals means stronger communities. Stronger communities means a better world.

"Traditional education teaches what they think you need to know. 220 allows you to discover yourself and the possibilities within you." -Raed Elaydi, Professor of Entrepreneurship and Management, Roosevelt University

Education should start with the assumption that every student has the potential to make a unique and wonderful contribution to the world. We’re preparing teachers and educators to bring each of those contributions to life.

By understanding the unique goals and needs of each student, teachers and educators spend less time teaching general knowledge and skills, and more time tailoring each student’s learning towards project-based, experiential learning to live their 220 Life.

220 has successfully tested, refined and implemented our programs at schools, afterschool programs, conferences, workforce and community programs across the country. Technology will be integral to our ability to scale.

We have an online training program for students and staff to learn our entire Leadership curriculum virtually. In addition to producing more online learning content through Workforce Development and Social Entrepreneurship, we will leverage newer technologies like machine learning and predictive analytics to continuously improve our content and the results for those we serve.

Our goals over the next 12 months are to:

• Solidify annual partnerships with organizations who need our programs to help their underserved students
• Reach 2,000 additional students through our programs
• Begin training workshop facilitators to grow our reach
• Build out our online video-based programs in workforce development and social entrepreneurship

Our vision in the next 5 years is to be working in communities around the world helping students through online learning content and life-changing programs. We want to transform education to empower individual students to change the trajectory of their lives. Through the program intervention of self-discovery, leadership and social entrepreneurship, students will expand their perspective of what is possible for themselves, their community and the world whereas if the intervention did not occur, they might have settled for much less.

Our programs are delivered to students in the following ways:

1. In-person workshops, trainings, and retreats for staff, students, and community members
2. Virtual trainings and webinars for staff and students
3. Thinkific- Online course platform to deliver video-based courses and programs
4. Free Resources and Tools through 220leadership.com

These are delivered through three content tracks:

1. Authentic Leadership
2. Workforce Development
3. Social Entrepreneurship

To date, we have taken 1,000+ students through a version of our program. Over 50% of these students are from underserved communities. 

93% of students leave our program with higher self confidence about personal success and their goals going forward. 100% of process observers believe the program will have a strong impact on their students moving forward.

Each student leaves our foundational program with a personalized unrealistic 10-year vision, in order to break down limiting beliefs and help them reach their potential.

We expect to have served 2,000 students in the next 12 months, double the number of students we have served to date over the first three years.

We expect to have served 10,000+ students in 3 years. 

Our programs are focused on improving:

• Critical Thinking & Goal-Setting (near-term outcome)
• Social Emotional Learning (near-term outcome)
• Healthy Choices & Behaviors (near-term outcome)
• Academic Success (near-term outcome)
• Leadership, Ownership & Growth Mindset (long-term outcome)
• Self-Empowerment & Self-Actualization (long-term outcome)

Both co-founders are graduates of the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University with majors in Finance and Entrepreneurship. Both co-founders also spent time in corporate America in banking and consulting.

Our team has demonstrated unparalleled commitment to our goals and our vision, developed key relationships to further our efforts, and remained dedicated to the students and communities we serve.

220's main revenue stream is through partnerships with youth-serving organizations that contract with us on an annual basis for program consulting, delivery, and development.

We also offer products that offer organizations similar content through curriculum, workbooks, and our online programs.

Over the first three years in business, we have proven 220 on a regional level. We've made minor investments in technology to enhance our reach and allow for more student to access our program. 

Solve can help us advance our goals through:

• Strategy for national and international scalability 
• Financial support in technology investments for scaleability
• Outreach and relationship building with high-impact stakeholders
• Assistance with research-based data to allow for maximum effectiveness and scale

1. How do we provide our solution to under resourced communities in Chicago and beyond?
2. How do we increase our penetration into schools, afterschool, nonprofits and community organizations with stagnant administrations, reduced funding, outdated cultures, and low standards- especially because this is where it’s needed most?

3. How can we provide a platform to connect all of the wonderful, but isolated programs and resources in our communities so they work together, share resources and maximize their impact?

4. How can we partner with technology corporations to enhance access for students and communities who otherwise couldn't participate in our programs?