Tu Voz My Venture Contest Winners Announced!

In a call to action, "Tu Voz, My Venture" awarded 50 winning teams with start-up grants of up to $1,000 to launch their ventures to help young Latinos stay in school and prepare for college and beyond. Five finalist teams were selected to receive a $5,000 scholarship. This initiative was launched by Youth Venture in partnership with MTV Tr3s, with funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

The five grand-prize Tu Voz, My Venture teams are:

Bio Motors: Veggies give you GAS, Los Angeles, CA
The team's action plan assists Latino students with transportation to educational programs, while engaging them in a movement to expand awareness of the use of environmentally conscious fuel. The plan calls for converting an old school bus diesel engine to run on used vegetable oil collected from fast food restaurants.

HERO, Sugar City, ID
This team created a Venture to actively confront and establish solutions for the drop out rate within the Latino community. The main avenue that HERO has identified as critical for Latino students is educational reform focusing on standardized testing, leadership opportunities, and some motivational component. HERO will host an annual conference dealing with Latino stereotypes and once school starts their organization will help students with ACT/SAT testing and leadership responsibilities.

SOUL, Gresham, OR
Concerned about high dropout and pregnancy rates among young Latinas, the ultimate goal of this venture is to get Latina students in Gresham High School focused on school and college through mentoring, homework tutoring, and the building of self-esteem and stronger social networks.

Latino Youth for Community Preparedness (LYCP), Oakland, CA
This team will provide Bi-lingual first aid and disaster preparedness presentations and trainings to raise awareness and educate the Hispanic community in ways that they can protect themselves and loved ones in the event of a natural disaster or in an emergency situation. This Venture wants to help people realize they can do something to protect themselves and save other people lives when it comes to natural disasters and medical emergencies and education.

Peques Chavos Fundacion de Futbol (FF), Southampton, NY
This Venture seeks to motivate Latino youth to stay in school and continue their studies through their desire to be part of a group that supports the playing of soccer. The goal is to create an opportunity to use a popular sport like soccer to inspire youth to strive for scholarships and further their higher education possibilities.

Here are all 50 official Tu Voz My Venture grant winning teams from across the United States.

A summary of all the teams' Venture ideas can be downloaded below:

A Taste of Reality, Austin, TX
AITHABANI Clothing, Brooklyn, New York
Arts in the Heights, Washington, DC
*Bio Motors: Veggies Give You Gas, Los Angeles, CA
Camino Latino, Corvallis, Oregon
Changing Franklin Road - One Kid at a Time, Marietta, GA
Charlottesville College Academy, Charlottesville, VA
Cleopatra's Coffin of Knowledge, Allison Park, PA
College Bound Latinos, Arlington, VA
Dimwitnot.com, Antioch, CA
Donna College Correspondence Club, Edinburg, TX
El Camino Al Exito, South Gate, CA
Emerging Leaders of Hayfield, Arlington, VA
Empowering Latinos, Sullivan Park, TX
From Cartridge to Cardstock, Midland, TX
Futbol Recreativo Competitivo, Woodbridge, VA
Future Hispanic Leaders of Tomorrow, Annandale, VA
Generation Education, Dallas/Fort Worth, TX
*HERO, Sugar City, ID
International School of Hip-Hop, Los Angeles, CA
Jumper, Elkridge, MD
Jungle Bush Productions, "The KC Brothers Show", Philadelphia, PA
Laptops for College and Career Exploration, Cleveland, Ohio
Latino Empowerment, Arlington, VA
*Latino Youth for Emergency Preparedness, Oakland, CA
L.E. E. P - Latinos Elderly and Environment Program, Washington, DC
Learning is for Everyone, St. Croix, USVI
Leading Latinos towards Accomplishment Via Example (L.L.A.V.E.), Milwaukee, WI
LOL, Miami, Florida
Mi Futuro - My Venture, South Gate, CA
My College Buddy, South Gate, CA
Necessary and Valuable Insight to Gain Access Toward Education (NAVIGATE), Minneapolis, MN
Opportunities Outreach Baltimore, Baltimore, MD
Paving the Way for Latino Success, Mission Valley, TX
*Peques Chavos Fundacion de Futbol, Southampton, New York
Raising the Bar, Bethany, OK
Recycle or Bust, Midland, TX
Soccer Mania, Riverdale, MD
*SOUL, Gresham, OR
South Side Teen Scene's Peace Project, Lansing, MI
S.T.A.R.T.S., Phoenix, Arizona
Tau Lambda, Washtenaw, MI
Tech 9, Bronx, New York
Technology for Hope, Silver Spring, MD
The Good Citizens, Bronx, New York
Tomorrow Teens, Yukon, OK
Walls to Canvas, Sun Valley, CA
Youth Action Network, Austin, Texas
Youth Empowering Action, Miami, Fl
Youth Leading Youth, Arlington, VA

*Grand-prize winner

For questions or more information, contact tuvoz@youthventure.org