Insight: Employers and institutions of higher education prefer applicants with tangible experience. BLK & Bold assists this through partnerships with offices, co-working spaces, and retailers to support youth workforce development initiatives.

Idea: In collaboration with local colleges and the Chicago-based youth assistance program, Youth Guidance, the BLK & Bold Higher Education line of products will provide a scholarship for at-risk youth.

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Packaging

The main purpose I had with coming up with this idea was empowerment. The reason I choose local colleges is to show that you don’t need to leave your community to be an agent of change. A lot of times in a marginalized community, it can feel like you are small or powerless in the grand scheme of things. Each specially marked bag of Higher Education highlights famous alumni of the corresponding university to show that higher education can lead to empowering your community.

BLK & Bold Study Lounge

The purpose of the Study Lounge is to create a safe, quiet space for at risk youth to study. A large problem with education inequality is institutions assuming each student has access to the same kind of study environment. Unfortunately this isn’t the case, but with the Study Lounge, Youth Guidance and BLK & Bold would be able to give at risk youth the a fair chance in school by providing a quiet environment to study.

If you’re reading this, there’s a good chance you work in advertising, which means you probably consume more caffeine than the average person. Not only can BLK & Bold provide you with a great caffeine fix, but they also donate 5% of their profits to organizations like Youth Guidance!