Youth Interactive

Who We Are

A Creative Entrepreneurship Academy based in Santa Barbara’s Funk Zone.

Our Mission is to ignite youth imagination, mentor creativity and help close the opportunity divide.

The Challenge

The Youth Interactive teens we serve face considerable obstacles on their road to adulthood – 83% are from low-income homes and 50% live in neighborhoods beset by violence. These creative youth come to Youth Interactive looking for a positive way out. At Youth Interactive we help create youth led artisanal businesses as a vehicle to help bridge the opportunity divide and empower youth to become economically self-sufficient as they share in the profits of their businesses.

We Serve T.E.A.

Our enrichment program of T.E.A. – Technology, Entrepreneurship and the Arts teaches practical life skills, financial literacy and success through entrepreneurship. We partner with local high schools, colleges and probation to provide a path to life success for Santa Barbara County’s most creative but disadvantaged and disenfranchised youth.

We Create Micro Businesses

Over the past two years our students, aged 10-24, created several new micro-businesses including “Solimar” – an organic biscotti business, “Pier Pressure Design” - a fashion accessories business utilizing sails from the Santa Barbara Yacht Club and fabric donated by Patagonia, “The Good News” a video news production company, “Havok” a t-shirt design company, “Outside Street Artists” who have had several mural commissions and “Resurrected By Youth”– a company creating furniture from old wine barrels.

Success in School, Business & Life:

Our students have access to the best artists & entrepreneurs in town, who teach them vocational skills, financial literacy and business skills. We help develop marketable job skills, and provide internships. Students also earn high school and college credits. Our new “Get It Done” Program enables older students, who would typically never set foot back in school, the opportunity to get one to one tutoring to enable them to finish their credits, graduate from high school and prepare for a productive life.