January 09, 2010
NAYOB’s Founder and Chief Executive Officer Connell Wise testify in front of the Washington DC City Council on Environmental Entrepreneurship and green jobs. To view speech visit http://octt.dc.gov/services/on_demand_video/channel13/January2010/01_09_10_COW.asx
December 2009
Connell Wise is Interviewd by Youth Venture
Venture Interview Series: Connell Wise and National Association of Youth-Owned Businesses
YV: Connell, you grew up in Washington D.C. and are now a freshman at Curry College in Milton, MA. Are you prepared for your first REAL winter in New England?
Connell: Well, my brother and sister went to Curry College. I’ve been going up to Milton for years to visit them in college.
YV: As part of the Dream It. Do It. Challenge in Boston, you coach youth and help launch their Ventures. How does it feel to use your unique experience to help other aspiring young people develop projects to benefit their community?
Connell: It feels good. I am currently studying social entrepreneurship and community development at Curry College. I love sharing my knowledge and am a big believer in social responsibility. By giving back, I am helping someone else get the same type of advantage that helped me get where I am today.
YV: This time last year you were a Venturer, now you’re a coach. How have you dealt with this role reversal?
Connell: My non-profit, the National Association of Youth-Owned Businesses, works a lot with training and coaching youth on running business and also life coaching. So I am coming in with some experience. But I am learning just as much as the youth I coach. I find out lots stuff I didn’t know. We are all students for life and we are always learning. I love hearing their personal stories.
YV: How else have you brought your Changemaker mindset to college?
Connell: At Curry College, I am part of the Program for Advancement of Learning (PAL). I have Attention Deficit Disorder and PAL is the nation’s premier support program for college students with learning disabilities. I have trouble getting my brain to take a minute and slow down. I am always thinking of new ways to save the world and make everyone a Changemaker. PAL helps me get my thoughts in order.
YV: On your website, NAYOB.ORG, you posted the quote, “Dreams come in a size too big so that we may grow into them.” What does the quote mean to you?
Connell: To me it means something special. I have a learning disability and all my life people have told me to think small, to not dream big. Maybe I should go to a 2-year college because of my learning disability. But just because you have a disability does not mean you can’t accomplish something. I am currently the Young Mayoral Appointed Commissioner in Washington DC. I have held this office for 3 year now. If you dream big, you start to build yourself to fit that dream.
YV: Connell, thanks for joining us. Stay warm this winter and have a Happy Holidays.
Connell: I will, the best to everyone and much success.
Contributed by Youth Venture Associate Ethan Burton
October 2009
In Parnership with Youth Venture Ashoka N.A.Y.O.B. Staff Teach Inner-City Youth Entrepreneurship.
November 2008
NAYOB win the weekly plum grant from Do something Inc $500 grant.
www.dosomthing.org/grants
November 17-22 Global Entrepreneurship Week kicks office.
Connell Wise CEO and Founder of NAYOB. Speaks in front of the Washington DC City Council on Social Entrepreneurship in the City.
October 2008
New Light Leadership Coalition. Connell was also given a 1 year honorary Board membership.
September 2008
NAYOB CEO Connell Wise attended the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver in August. While there he was interviewed by the Finical Times his with the Finical Times is now up on their website.
To watch the video visit http://www.ft.com/cms/af2e6bf6-6d00-11dd-857b-0000779fd18c.html