The Virginia Union University Sydney Lewis School of Business (SLSB) is proud to partner with Youth Corporation, Incorporated to launch “Live Change”, a program designed to educate, mentor, and advocate on behalf of at risk youth in the Richmond Metropolitan Area who are faced with challenges that could potentially prevent them from transitioning from high school into college or other careers that could assist them in becoming a part of the economic fabric of the Richmond Metropolitan Area. The program is designed to prevent the pipeline from high school to incarceration.

“Live Change “is being managed by interns in the Sydney Lewis School of Business under the direction of Dr. Delta R. Bowers.  The founder of Youth Corporation, Incorporated, Ms.  Elizabeth Charity, introduced the idea to the SLSB as an opportunity for the SLSB student interns to manage and run the company from conception to deployment and serve as mentors to the students.  The student interns are engaged with real life experiences inclusive of opening a bank account with Towne Bank, developing the Bylaws, meeting with politicians and community leaders, interviewing with radio and television outlets, public relations and social media campaign, and engaging with law enforcement officials. Ms. Charity, an advocate for juveniles believes that this model of involving college students in the conversation and the advocacy for endangered at risk youth could prove to be a significant change in the landscape to thwart the pipeline for youth from high school to incarceration.  Dr. Delta R. Bowers, who oversees the interns in the SLSB believes that engaging young men and women who are college students in the process of preventing the high school to incarceration pipeline is transformative and could potentially reverse the mass incarceration of youth who have the potential to be significant contributors to society