Young innovators make a dent in the world
Case Studies
Spotlight on the work of Dent Education, a Baltimore-based organization that’s one of 15 non-profits chosen for the Global Business Coalition for Education’s 2025 Youth Skills and Employment Accelerator. Its vision is to catalyze youth to become leaders of a racially just and thriving innovation ecosystem in the city.
They’re called “Denters”. Young people in Baltimore who are helping to shape the world around them. Learning skills like 3D printing, product design, content creation, and artificial intelligence, they become entrepreneurs, designers, technologists, and engineers.
Since 2017, there have been 760 of them. They have earned more than $1 million in the Earn-to-Learn programs run by Dent Education, which engage high schoolers between the ages of 14 and 18 and support youth up to 24. Dent has also connected with more than 350 partners – local innovators, leaders, and educators.
Through paid innovation programs, Denters develop “I Can” confidence, entrepreneurial mindsets, social capital, and innovation careers. Dent Education’s mission is to partner with Baltimore youth to ignite their ability to shape the world around them. Its vision is to catalyze youth to become leaders of a racially just and thriving innovation ecosystem in the city.
As the organization says, Denters don’t just make business plans – they launch real ventures. One powerful example of that is Shani’a, whose journey with Dent Education began in 2021. From the outset, she was committed to making a significant impact in the field of mental health.
Shani’a promotes her nonprofit organization NAV at Dent Education’s Bet on Baltimore showcase event
After launching a mental health club at her school, she developed her own non-profit called NAV (Navigation) through a Dent program. NAV provides resources such as afterschool workshops and social media tips to foster a stigma-free teen community around mental health. Shani’a, who is now at college, said: “Knowing that I had trouble finding my purpose in society and finding a way to cope with my challenges, I felt like my organization gave myself and other students around me an outlet to express how they feel.”
Dent Education was chosen by the Global Business Coalition for Education to take part in the 2025 Youth Skills and Employment Accelerator. With employers across all sectors in the United States struggling to find young talent with the expertise they need, the Accelerator is part of a nationwide drive to ensure that by 2030 all young Americans will have the skills needed to find work in a rapidly-changing job market.
The Accelerator equips nonprofits with the tools and support they need to make a real difference in the lives of young people from underserved communities.
Dent Education believes that being part of the Accelerator will help its plans to scale up, especially its NextGen Innovators program. This is a transformative, 320-hour Earn-to-Learn initiative designed to catalyze youth innovation, career readiness, and economic mobility, allowing youth to earn an industry-recognized credential and then bring their credentials skills to an employer internship. The NextGen Innovators program aligns with the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future Goal – 45% of high school youth graduate with an industry-recognized credentia or youth apprenticeship by 2030.
Ayo Sekiteri, Dent Education’s Strategic Partnerships Manager, said: “We’re dedicated to making sure Baltimore youth have real opportunities to explore social innovation, build skills, and turn their ideas into something meaningful.
“Being part of the Youth Skills and Employment Accelerator helps us expand that mission – giving young people the tools, confidence, and connections they need to become the innovation leaders of tomorrow and step into in-demand careers that can change their futures.”
Our mission is giving young people the tools, confidence, and connections they need to become the innovation leaders of tomorrow
Ayo Sekiteri, Strategic Partnerships Manager at Dent Education
Dent Education runs a series of programs, including:
- Bet on Baltimore. Dent’s flagship program, a 125-hour paid summer internship where – taught by expert coaches – youth activate their inner innovators, build community, and make a real-world impact by leveraging 21st century skills like entrepreneurship, design thinking, 3D printing, content creation, product development, or AI.
- Made@Dent. A social enterprise, youth-driven and co-run by Baltimore youth and Dent Education, that teaches students to become better makers and entrepreneurs while preparing them for the workforce. It sells products designed and made by Denters – such as hoodies, mugs, notebooks, stickers, and tote bags.
- Accelerate your Dent. For advanced students with social venture proposals who are looking to grow their startup to the next level. Teams focus on strengthening their initiative by testing value, scaling reach, and strengthening their offerings with mentorship from local leaders.
- Denternship. Where experienced Denters and Fellows use their creativity and equity-centered design thinking skills to help local organizations solve real challenges with innovative approaches.
- Design Studio. Denters will explore creative digital storytelling, use Adobe Express, and leverage design thinking to craft impactful content for social good. Denters will develop branding, content marketing, and storytelling skills to create engaging campaigns that drive change. Denters can earn the Content Creation & Marketing via Adobe Express Certification.
An example of young people’s creativity was the Little Free Library project, completed last summer. Youth innovators from Dent Education helped to design and install book-sharing boxes at 10 locations throughout Baltimore and the DC area. The nonprofit Little Free Library partnered with AI reading coach Ello, which filled each library with donated children’s books, including favorite classics and decodable books designed to help kids learn how to read.
Dent Education youth innovator Xander, said: “I really enjoyed collaborating with Ello and putting it together piece by piece. It was awesome doing something I’ve never done before. I am proud of the work my team and I did.”
Micky Wolf, CEO of Dent Education, added: “At Dent, youth develop “I Can” confidence in their ability to shape the world because of projects like this. Through partnerships like Ello with Made@Dent, as well as community collaboratio, our youth get to learn, earn, and create real-world impact throughout the city of Baltimore and beyond.”
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