Community Programs
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Business Startup
Access To Capital
Consulting
Workshops
Idea Development
The Generator is a community facility designed to offer groups and individuals a place to not only think, learn and play, but also provide the tools and resources to foster entrepreneurship, as well as personal growth and development. With a variety of tools, technology, and equipment, our goal is to create an environment that promotes independence, encourages education, and supports the development of small businesses.
SCHOOL & COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS
While partnering with local schools and community youth organizations, our youth entrepreneurial programs use real business models to teach kids the fundamentals of starting, operating, and being successful at their very own business. The programs consist of:
TEACHING CORE BUSINESS SKILLS:
Business Planning / Raising Capital / Money Management / Productivity / Networking / Accountability /Marketing / Community Service
MERIT PAY INITIATIVE
The Generator aims to increase teacher awareness of—and participation in—the LEARNS Act Merit Teacher Incentive Fund, while also expanding student involvement and leadership opportunities.
The LEARNS Act Merit Teacher Incentive Fund offers bonuses of up to $10,000 for high-performing teachers based on student growth,” said Watley. “Awards include $10,000 for the top 0.5 percent and $3,000 for the top 25 percent of educators in English Language Arts, Math, or Science. This state-funded program rewards exceptional educators using a three-year average of student growth scores and TESS ratings, helping attract and retain top teaching talent across Arkansas.”
Despite statewide success, Jefferson County educators currently lag behind peer districts in participation. Fewer than 2 percent of teachers in Pine Bluff and Watson Chapel received merit pay during the 2023–24 school year, and fewer than 5 percent during 2024–25. By comparison, White Hall School District awarded merit pay to 10 percent of teachers in year one and 15 percent in year two, while McGehee School District awarded merit pay to nearly 24 percent in year one and 26 percent in year two.
In addition to merit pay consulting, grant funds will support teacher leadership and student
engagement initiatives, including both academic and extracurricular activities.
HWY 63B OLIVE ST. REDESIGN
A project team focused on revitalizing theis historically vibrant Arkansas city of Pine Bluff has been awarded a $548,492 grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) 2024 Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhood Grant (RCN) Program. The Pine Bluff project is one of 132 planning or capital projects to be funded through $3.33 billion in grant awards in the 2024 program, and the only one from Arkansas.
The planning study supports revitalization of the 280-block historic South-Central downtown neighborhood through the context-sensitive retrofit of Arkansas State Highway 63B. The oversized corridor and the scale of its auto-centric land uses — now mostly large abandoned dead zones — accelerate economic decline in this African American neighborhood, due to corridor desertification rather than congestion. Scenario planning will explore options in right-sizing a 1.2-mile segment of this low-trafficked corridor as an active transportation network spine with urban infill land-use improvements between the downtown business district and the city’s largest employment center to the south, the Jefferson Regional Medical Center.
STUDENT LEAD BUSINESS PROGRAMS
Using one of our business models (including: videography, photography, screen printing, CNC tooling, 3D printing, Laser Engraving), or using their own ideas with the same or different technology, students plan, implement, and run their very own business during the program period. The program teaches personal and business finance, business development, and technical skills giving them the opportunity to experience entrepreneurship. We Leverage the same business tools and partnerships used in our adult programming to assist youth entrepreneurs with developing and operating sustainable businesses.
Our basic business models include but are not limited to:
Product Design & Development (CNC Router, 3D Printers, Laser Engraver) – Using a combination of the tools in our maker space, we teach students to program and design. They are given the opportunity to think and create marketable products that can be used in developing an their business.