23-Year-Old Social Entrepreneur Tackles Youth Incarceration Issues, Backed By The Taco ...


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"When I was a kid, I never dreamed I'd end up in music, but grew to realize that life's about taking advantage of any opportunity," Vince Staples says.

He's one of four judges at the first Ambition Accelerator Summit at Taco Bell headquarters in Washington, DC, where a 25-year-old Chicago woman won the top prize of $25,000 for her idea to help youth who've experienced incarceration prepare for life after high school, Mashable reports.

Sparkle Whitaker's three-year-old program, Onyx Incubator, offers workshops on creativity to youth who qualify for alternatives to detention centers or who have experienced incarceration in Cook County, Ill., per a press release.

The virtual setting allows youth to stay home under parental supervision or maintain participation in school while learning new skills through classes at night, with plans to expand to in-person experiences in the near future.

"When I was a kid, I never dreamed I'd end up in music, but grew to realize that life's about taking advantage of any opportunity," Staples says.

The four other finalists in the pitch competition were awarded $10,000 each.

Taco Bell is part of Yum! Brand's $100 million Unlocking Opportunity Initiative, which aims to build pathways to build a more equitable

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