Nationwide — Dr. Shanna Carter, known as “The Purpose Resuscitator,” has overcome many obstacles in her life but the reward of empowering and encouraging people, especially youth and incarcerated males, to use every gift, talent, and skills they have to be great, was worth the struggle.
Dr. Carter started the “No More Boxes” youth entrepreneur program as the first entrepreneur summer camp in Jacksonville, FL in 2015. After she became a bigger advocate for incarcerated youth, she started a program for incarcerated youth in 2016 in two juvenile facilities in Jacksonville, Florida. In two years, over 50 youth were provided training and opportunities to launch businesses before they were released. One has a patented invention, another one is in prototype stage, two groups of 8 young men were able to pitch at FedEx Youth Business Event during golf tournament with celebrity judges. One group of 5 was able to receive an investment from a local angel investor. Dr. Carter’s entrepreneur program takes the participants from idea to marketing including logos, website, emails.
After seeing how beneficial this was to incarcerated juveniles, Dr. Carter wanted to extend this program into jails and prisons. Not just because of her organization, but the buy-in was her ability to get them to see that they are valued and have value. She does not have the name, “The Purpose Resuscitator” for no reason. “Turning obstacles into opportunities. Helping people reach their greater purpose.”
After seeing the effect this program had on incarcerated juveniles, she knew she needed to reach those in jails and prisons with the Breaking Da Cycle Entrepreneur Program and iMOVE Inventor’s Think Tank. She thought about the guys from her neighborhood that she would encourage, motivated, and see them as great people regardless of their circumstances and backgrounds.
In “Breaking Da Cycle” 10-week Entrepreneur Program, “Power Moves Partners”, get a workbook and all the tools necessary to launch a business with little to no money. Dr. Carter is looking to develop Youth Business Malls across the country like the one she is opening in Summer 2021 in Jacksonville, Fl. Any Power Moves Partners can pitch their business to be selected for a kiosk inside the mall. This experience gives them the knowledge and advantage of being in a brick-and-mortar without the large liabilities. “I want to have one of these malls in every city where we have Power Moves Partners who were previously incarcerated.”
Dr. Carter knows there were so many other men in jails and prisons that needed that reassurance that their life matured. Once they knew that, not she could introduce the entrepreneur and inventor’s program. Dr. Carter said, “I want opportunities and resources for them to have successful and quality lives to meet them at the gate so that they can turn down the opportunities to re-offend.” There are so many great businesses and inventions right in our jails and prisons, they just need a listening ear and a door of opportunity to flourish. Dr. Carter has been working diligently to reach prisons and jails across the state of Florida and Georgia.
Dr. Carter has been working on the process for building The K4S Entrepreneur and Innovation Center with SWAG (high school diploma or GED) Business Academy for at-risk males as an extension of the entrepreneur program. She aims to take our young men from “Jail Cells to Board Rooms, From Hand Cuffs to Briefcases, From Rags to Riches.”
As she always says, “It’s Not Personal, It’s Purpose.” Dr. Carter is currently doing a speaking tour called Access Granted: You have your NEW KEY. The goal of this tour is to reach 1 million youth or males to get their new key.
Learn more about her and organization at Krumpin4Success.org
For speaking engagements, program implementation at your facility, jail and/or prison, contact Dr. Shanna M. Carter, J.D., “The Purpose Resuscitator” at transforminmates@breakingdacycle.com or (904) 480-3434.