Seven community-based non-profit ventures are finalists in the 2010 YouthBridge Social Entrepreneurship and Innovation Competition at Washington University in St. Louis. Multiple winners will share a total of $155,000 in seed money to launch or support existing businesses dedicated to doing good. The awards will be announced at a ceremony 6:30 p.m., April 13 after a keynote address by Kevin Salwen.

Keynote speaker: Kevin Salwen, author of The Power of Half: One Family’s Decision to stop Taking and Start Giving Back

Written in tandem by the father-daughter team of Kevin and Hannah Salwen, The Powerr of Half: One Family’s Decision to Stop Taking and Start Giving Back (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2010),  is the story of one family’s life-altering decision and its unexpected results. The Salwens hoped that selling their home would allow them to make things better in a small corner of the world. Little did they expect how much they would gain themselves.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS:
Kevin Salwen was a reporter and editor at the Wall Street Journal for more than eighteen years. He has served on the board of Habitat for Humanity in Atlanta and works with the U.S. Olympic Committee.

Hannah Salwen is a junior at the Atlanta Girls’ School, where she plays volleyball, serves on the student council, and volunteers.

The seven finalists in the YouthBridge SEIC are:



City Greens Produce 
aims to provide access to fresh, local and affordable produce, promote healthy living in the community, provide a space for neighbors to interact and support local Missouri farmers as part of the extended community. 



Crafts By Youth--Economic Empowerment for Youth Washington University students partnered with a Ugandan NGO called UDHA in the summer of 2009 to find a way to economically empower disadvantaged rural youth, primarily young women (ages 16-24). Crafts By Youth is the nonprofit started to sell the environmentally friendly recycled paper bead jewelry produced through the income-generating program.


The Dahlia Partnership
 is dedicated to systemic change through education and advocacy. Utilizing a curriculum, The REAL Skinny, Dahlia will train education professionals how to recognize early signs of eating disorders and provide intervention when necessary.



One Percent Foundation 
(OPF) empowers young adults to become lifelong philanthropists by facilitating engaged, systematic, collective and values-driven giving and participation. OPF Partners pledge to donate at least one percent of their income to philanthropy each year. The Foundation supports organizations in the five broad categories of Education, the Environment, Health, International Aid, and Poverty.

Project GiveChange 
is a social action platform that facilitates online giving and promotes contributions by reducing opportunity costs, providing incentives, and targeted marketing.



St. Louis Dancing Classrooms 
St. Louis Dancing Classrooms (SLDC) is a social development program aimed at empowering youth, teaching respectful interaction, and promoting teamwork in St. Louis Metropolitan schools. Using the New York-based program (portrayed in Mad Hot Ballroom—currently serves 1,000 schools per year) as a model, SLDC is a 10-week in-school residency targeting 5th grade classrooms. 



Twice Blessed Resale Shop 
Our Lady's Inn, a non-profit organization that serves homeless pregnant women and their children opened a resale shop to develop a sustainable revenue stream from excess in-kind donations. The store serves as an employee-training program for clients, where they gain valuable work experience, an employer reference, and earn store credits towards purchases.