Unreasonable

From Dope Dealer to Hope Dealer (1 Man’s Quest to Reimagine Education)


On an otherwise reasonable evening in July, over 1000 people packed an auditorium in Boulder Colorado for the culmination of the Unreasonable Institute. They came to watch 12 ventures, tackling some of the world’s greatest challenges, take the stage and share their plans to help define progress in our time. This is one of those talks.


The entrepreneur in this video is Roberto Rivera of The Good Life Organization.

What is the urgent social or environmental need you’re addressing?

The urgent need is that many urban cities in the U.S and around the world, have a drop out epidemic. Schools have become places that leave many youth feeling de-geniusized, full of deficiencies, and feeling dis-empowered. Many of these youth who drop out, end up in three places: 1. Dead, 2. In Jail, 3. In a dead end job. the system of education is crashing, and we have the system upgrade.

What is your solution to this need? Describe your business strategy.

We have come up with a pedagogical approach, and practical tools that allow youth workers, educators, and parents to engage youth in strength based, holistic, and relevant ways that empower them to reach their potential. We help to bring districts and organizations into the 21st century by training and equipping them with tools to engage the next generation of leaders, innovators, and change agents. We support educators in creating an educational foundation that teaches 21st century skills like thinking critically, working creatively, and acting collaboratively that meet the current needs of academic systems academically while also preparing youth with the transferable skills necessary to thrive in the the new knowledge economy.