Empowering Tomorrow's Leaders
Every year, we have the privilege of positively impacting hundreds of children’s lives across Maricopa County. Our goal? To shatter the poverty cycle, a stark reality that plagues over half (51%) of Arizona’s children. The fact that nearly half (48%) of their parents are without full-time employment adds an extra layer of challenge.
A whopping 86% of the children we serve at AYA are Title 1 students, with their families existing at or below the poverty line. However, this seemingly insurmountable hurdle doesn’t deter us. Instead, it fuels our drive to make a difference.
AYA presents an array of comprehensive programs designed to meet each child's unique abilities and interests.
Among these are:
The AYA Educational Resources Program
Spring Break Entrepreneurship Camp
AYA Mentor and Leadership Program.
Whether in schools, libraries, or in conjunction with other nonprofit youth organizations, we deliver these programs to cultivate the seeds of potential within each child. Our curriculum? It’s meticulously crafted through collaborations with organizations renowned for their expertise in various fields. These include for-profit entrepreneurship, social entrepreneurship, leadership, and personal development.
With AYA, every child gets the opportunity to rise above their circumstances and become the leaders of tomorrow. We believe in their potential, and we’re committed to unlocking it.
Welcome to AYA
At AYA, we believe in the power of collaboration to empower students in Maricopa County. Through strategic partnerships with schools, youth non-profits, educators, and Arizona State University, we offer a comprehensive range of educational opportunities.
Making a Difference
Every year, our programs impact hundreds of teens across our community. Join us on this journey to transform education and shape a brighter future for our youth.
A letter from our president
More than half of Arizona children (51%) live-in low-income families and nearly half (48%) of their parents do not have full time employment. Our mission is to end the cycle of poverty for Arizona families by cultivating the entrepreneurial spirit in Arizona youth. By promoting an entrepreneurial mindset, leadership training and strong community connections and mentorship, our students have a far greater opportunity for success. In turn, their children and families will be better positioned to not only be successful but help others in their community to achieve similar levels of success.
We offer a robust series of educational and growth experiences to match every student’s level of interest and ability. Our curriculum has been carefully curated through partnerships with organizations with great expertise in for-profit entrepreneurship, social entrepreneurship, leadership and personal growth. Our goal is not to grow student businesses, but to grow students themselves by meeting them where they are at and offering a variety of programs and experiences through an entrepreneurial and personal leadership lens. We believe that entrepreneurship is not a skill, but a mindset. One that requires creativity, collaboration, personal responsibility, and innovation. We teach that anyone can learn how to start a business but bringing out the qualities of entrepreneurship increases capacity to create solutions, build relationships, increase creativity and persistence towards meaningful goals, whether you are a student, business owner, musician, coder, doctor, social worker or anything else!
Students who attend Aspiring Youth Academy programs, learn skills ranging from business solution ideation to planning to critical thinking to peer leadership and collaborative teamwork, all while maintaining a focus on giving back to their community. Just as important, students discover their own personal strengths to bring greater confidence in all areas of life. Our social entrepreneurship Spring Break Camp links students to the world through solving global and humanitarian issues through business; Making the world a better place is at the core of all of our programs.
While our greater goal is to help end poverty for Arizona families, it’s important to note that our students do not come exclusively from low-income households. We strive for socioeconomic, racial and gender balance in our programs. We believe that our students will learn as much from each other as they do from us. Having experience in working together and solving problems with people who are unlike themselves will help setup any student for long term success.
Please take a moment to explore the rest of our site and find a way to get involved. Our aspirations are big, and our vision is bold. We need your help to achieve them.
JEFFREY BURG
President, Aspiring Youth Academy
JEFFREY BURG
President, Aspiring Youth Academy