Our Programs
Teens That Mean Business
A high school junior, Tameka with an interest in entrepreneurship, did not have the resources or access to small business leaders. As an intern with the Teens That Mean Business (“TTMB”) program, a six-week summer stipend-based summer internship, she was able to gain knowledge and exposure to entrepreneurship, future career opportunities, and financial education. Now that she has completed the program, her financial outlook for herself and her family is brighter, and she feels more empowered as she prepares for college and college summer internships.
Cam, a rising high school senior, thought that he wanted to major in architecture in college. He was selected as an TTMB intern and was matched with an architectural and construction management firm. He had a successful hands on experience at the firm and his goals and understanding of the different types of jobs became more clear as he determined that a major in Construction Management would better fit with his objectives for a future career. This firm hires summer interns, routinely, but they must be at least college level. The firm was so impressed with his work ethic, his intrinsic talent and his willingness to learn that they offered him an opportunity to return as an intern the following summer.
Since the program's formal inception, TTMB has connected nearly 100 youth with business leaders, owners, and professionals, who serve as both employer and mentor. The TTMB interns shadow them up to four days a week, gaining practical, hands-on experience in business operation and management across a range of sectors. Additionally, the interns participate in a series of financial education, professional development and entrepreneurial workshops that cover everything from discovering the power of positivity, to resume writing and understanding credit and debt.2025
Availability
Summer: Monday – Friday
Morning and Afternoon
Location
279 Lafayette Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11238
Exiting Egypt
Barbara is a long-standing member of older adult group PrimeTime at Emmanuel Baptist Church, which provides fellowship for retired-age individuals. While she is in the prime of her life, her primary pressing concern was leaving a financial legacy for her family. Barbara attended the Exiting Egypt Conference, an annual socio-economic development conference that strives to provide a pathway to financial empowerment. She used the resources from the Estate Planning workshop to connect with professionals that assisted her with structuring her estate and making other financial investments for her loved ones.
Barbara story is just one illustration of the impact of Exiting Egypt. It provides conference participants, such as entrepreneurs, small business owners, educators, and health professionals, with tools and workshops that will enable them to lift themselves out of bondage, as the Israelites did so under the leadership of Moses. Building on its legacy, in 2020, the annual Exiting Egypt conference was held virtually with upwards of 150 participants and incorporated resources to address the social and mental health challenges that were exacerbated by the global COVID-19 pandemic.
South Africa Project
Situated along the northwest border of Gauteng province, the town of Winterveld provides insight into the region’s deeply marred history as a result of Apartheid, and the systemic struggles still present today within the urban periphery of South African cities. Historically, Winterveld served as an Apartheid relocation settlement, hosting Black families forcibly removed from Pretoria. Located 60 km from the capital, the region is the tribal homeland of the Bophuthatswana. While the area remains sparsely populated today, there are dense pockets of informal settlements and despite the rural setting, the area remains fundamentally tied to the urban economy of Pretoria.
The town provides affordable land and housing to future residents as well as potentially significant interpersonal social networks within the community, yet rates of crime and poverty remain high and there is limited opportunity for employment. These conditions are exacerbated by long, costly commutes to the job centers within Pretoria and Johannesburg.
A Better World Community Development Corporation (ABWCDC) in partnership with local community leaders, is developing two (2) parcels of land within the town of Winterveld totaling 8.56 hectares (21.1 acres). ABWCDC has partnered with two architectural firms:
Sharon Davis Design (New York) to create a preliminary master plan and report outlining community desires and needs that could potentially be met through the development of the land, placing great emphasis on sustainable design; and
Boogertman + Partners, Africa’s largest architecture firm, with offices in Johannesburg, Pretoria, Cape Town, Stellenbosch, Durban and Kenya to further develop the existing master plan.
We are currently in pre-phase with respect to project development that will provide the community with a K-8 Primary school, Indoor / Outdoor Recreation areas, Community Gathering Hall and a Business Incubator. Once completed it will provide a sustainable and welcoming learning environment for the community of Winterveld.