Generation Impact Social Innovation Fund 2024!

Thursday, February 22nd Generation IMPACT an affinity group of the Community Foundation and United Way of Volusia-Flagler Counties held their 6th annual Social Innovation Fund pitch competition or known as SIF. SIF provides local high school, college, or vocational school students with mini-grants in order to implement innovative projects that address critical challenges in Flagler and/or Volusia counties.

To be a part of the Social Innovation Fund pitch competition, students submitted their proposal back in 2023 to Generation IMPACT to have their projects approved and pitch ready.
All projects must work to improve the lives of the ALICE population(Asset Limited Income Constraint and Employed), in addition to focusing on one of the areas of health, education, financial stability, or DEI. The students were then paired up with a mentor from Generation IMPACT to prepare for the competition.

Teresa Wiggins the Generation IMPACT chair mentioned “We are incredibly excited and honored to help fund these great projects. We have worked with them all year and will continue to mentor them after funding has been announced. The next generation has a bright future with students like these in our community.”

This year the SIF Pitch Competition features 5 student-led projects all requesting $3,000 in funding.

• Acreage Farms: Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (Received $2,000)
• Ballet for the World: Daytona State College (Received $2,000)
• Volusia Giving Gardens: Spruce Creek High School (Received $2,000)
• Project S.P.A.R.K: Flagler Palm Coast High School (Received $3,000)
• Student ID to Voter ID: Stetson University (Received $1,000

One of the mentors Dr. Ethan Johnson mentioned “It is a good reminder of how innovative high school and college students can be while also impacting their community for the future.”

Learn More about the Projects:

Acreage Farm | Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University 

Project Mentor: Teresa Wiggins and Akisia German Requested $3,000
Autonomous Vertical Farm Crop Monitoring to Tackle Food Insecurity and Provide Youth Education.
The Daytona Beach region has a noticeable food desert issue resulting in many residents not being
able to obtain high-quality foods. Through the developing vertical farm project, Acreage Farms will
strive to grow upwards of 10 tons of fresh produce annually, year-round, that will be available to the
local community. Additionally, this project would provide STEM education opportunities for learning
within the plant science, biology, mechanical engineering, and computer science fields among others. Their goal is to have one of their vertical farming equipment in Flagler Counties. 

Ballet for the World | Daytona State College

Project Mentor: Randolyn O’Malia and Joshua Poniatowski Requested $3,000 BFTWI to address the current lack of access to fine arts education and extracurriculars. As part of community revitalization efforts, it is necessary to include after-school activities. However, homelessness and lower incomes create barriers to participation due to the instability of living under such conditions. BFTWI aims to provide children with artistic, educational, cultural, and self-development opportunities. At the same time, our program addresses the need to create, build, and sustain safe spaces for children to express themselves while learning new content and engaging in enjoyable dynamics.

Volusia Giving Gardens | Spruce Creek High School

Project Mentor: Monica Mitry Requested $3,000
Our organization focuses on tackling food insecurity. Food insecurity is particularly prevalent in low income areas of Volusia County, concentrated in the ALICE population. By providing gardens, we are creating opportunities for affordable access to fresh-grown produce in underserved areas.

Project S.P.A.R.K. | Flagler Palm Coast High School

Project Mentor: Deanna Dempsey and Heather Prasse Requested $3,000 Many of the resources that once benefitted students of Flagler County have been lost due to lack of
support, funding, and the COVID-19 pandemic. While the programs may have been lost, many of the resources remained. Rather than waste the funding spent on resources, SPARK aims to connect
with students while also providing a fun, enjoyable, and memorable experience, ‘sparking’ a passion for STEM. They are aiming to continue to partner/collaborate with a variety of different schools including, Wadsworth Elementary, Bunnell Elementary, and Rymfire Elementary. They are also working with the Flagler County Education Foundation.  

Student ID to Voter ID| Stetson University 

Project Mentor: Enaris Inman Requested $3,000
The Student ID/Voter ID project addresses the issue of voting being inaccessible to college students. Florida is one of 11 states that allows Student ID’s to be used as a form of ID at the polls. This project ensures students only need to show one ID at the polls.