WHO WE ARE

Rebel Ventures is an 501(c)3 PA nonprofit corporation. We are a social enterprise engaging youth in leadership and entrepreneurship. We develop and distribute products (healthy deliciousness) directly with and for kids in our community.

We are supported by the University of Pennsylvania’s Netter Center for Community Partnerships. Our products and projects are designed, tested, and evaluated in partnership with students, staff, and parents at the Netter Center’s K-12 University Assisted Community Schools in West Philadelphia. Every year undergraduate and graduate students and alumni, as well as staff and faculty from the University of Pennsylvania work with Rebel Ventures as mentors and learners through Netter Center sponsored Academically Based Community Service courses and other pathways.

OUR MOTTO & MODEL

Rebel Ventures is a youth-driven operation, anchored by professional staff and mentors. High-school, college, and graduate students learn by doing – honing their entrepreneurial skills together.

This diverse collaboration creates a potent environment for teaching and learning. As a crew, we keep each other focused and motivated through a system that fosters peer accountability. Among the high school students, a few are elected leaders, which comes with increased responsibility and compensation. The Rebel Ventures staffing model is a crew of 6 high-school students, one part-time staff person, and department specific volunteer mentors.

Our business is made up of 6 core business departments- operations, marketing, sales, research and development, accounting, and design. Each department is staffed by an individual HS student (executive is co-staffed by HS leader(s) and part-time staff). The high-school students rotate through the departments, learning a diverse set of skills through one-on-one training and mentorship. The HS crew members work to master specific job-related functions (inventory, video editing, etc) and earn greater compensation for mastering these activities. Each department is also supported by one volunteer expert mentor, usually a college/graduate student or professional. These mentors are a significant value-add to Rebel Ventures, but the business can function sustainably without them.

NOW & THE FUTURE

Kids want to be healthy, we just need to start listening to them. They want to eat good food- food that is nutrient-dense and is grown, processed, and shared with love.

We imagine schools where all kids learn to grow good food, cook good food, buy good food, and eat good food. We imagine kids supporting each other in being as healthy as they can be. We imagine communities coming together to support kids in reaching their fullest potential.
We are Rebel Ventures. We are young people taking control of our own future. We create healthy deliciousness with kids. We are role models. It’s our job.