Making It in the New Economy—Part 1 of “Doing Innovation: Empowering Young People for Tomorrow’s World”

Webinar focus: How are millennials expanding our notions of innovation? What kinds of skills and resources do young innovators need as they seek to build more robust pathways to opportunity?

About this webinar: CLTV invited a group of young entrepreneurs to share their experiences trying to start new enterprises in a world marked by innovation. In partnership with CLTV, Educator Innovator simulcasted these webinars as part of the 2015 October CLTV Series curated by Professor S. Craig Watkins: “Doing Innovation: Empowering Young People for Tomorrow’s World.”

About the series: Throughout October 2015, CLTV and Educator Innovator explored the landscape of the new economy and considered what kinds of skills and resources young people need as they seek to build more robust pathways to opportunity. We also highlighted the changing social and economic factors that structure young people’s transition to adulthood and the ways creative labor is being remade today. Lastly, participants discussed how cities, schools, and tech leaders might drive innovation that is more robust, open, and inclusive, along with policy options for effectively addressing opportunity gaps in the tech sector and innovation economy.

Guests for this webinar included:

• S. Craig Watkins (host) is a Radio-TV-Film Professor at the University of Texas-Austin and a member of the MacArthur Foundation’s Connected Learning Research Network.
• Beth Consetta Rubel is an Austin-based artist whose creative work focuses on culture, politics, and race.
• Lauren Foster is the Founder of Stretch Recipes, an Austin-based food & tech start up dedicated to building more sustainable communities.
• Alberto Altamirano is Co-founder of City Flag, a mobile app that encourages local civic engagement. Participated in an Innovation Challenge that was coordinated in partnership with Voto Latino, the MacArthur Foundation, and Google. Based in San Antonio, TX
• Michael Henderson is an Austin-based social entrepreneur and founder of Doing Development. Recently returned from Kenya as part of a development project with local schools and African social innovators.

The conversation also took place on Twitter and Google+ using the hashtag #ConnectedLearning.