Youth Stories

At 13, he begged his mother to let him cook; now this Blue Valley teen runs a creperie on wheels

Last Christmas, Karizma Nola and his family took a trip to Colorado where they came across the most unforgettable crepes, he recalled. This holiday season, Nola has a spatula in hand as he shares his own culinary passion with Kansas City.  “I’ve always thought about being an entrepreneur; I just didn’t expect it to happen…

How a Worlds of Fun data internship shaped this teen’s cookie cutter subscription box business

Every cutting-edge business idea has a season, said Alex Santoro, baking the details of his 3D printing venture: a subscription box that delivers a set of Kansas City-made holiday-themed cookie cutters — and showcases the teen’s enterprising ambitions. When he turned 18 in August, the Lee’s Summit West student and Worlds of Fun intern celebrated…

Panel: Teachers can’t just ‘fail fast’ with students, but plugging entrepreneurship into classrooms builds agility in both

As someone with a hand in both education and entrepreneurship, Tiffany Dixon recognizes that a gap between the two is limiting potential in Kansas City schools. “There is an ecosystem that teachers don’t realize exists around their classroom,” she explained during a “Youth: Our Future Entrepreneurs” panel discussion for Global Entrepreneurship Week – Kansas City….

Generation least likely to vote wants yours: How Gen Z candidates are jumping on MO ballots to energize interest

Editor’s note: This story is part of a series on the 2022 election produced by the KC Media Collective, an initiative designed to support and enhance local journalism. Members of the KC Media Collective include Startland News, Missouri Business Alert, Kansas City PBS/Flatland, KCUR, The Kansas City Beacon and American Public Square. Ray Reed sat…

Armondo Alvarez and Justine Dale Gelbolinga

Will climate change rob me of being a parent? Anxious Millennials, Gen Z question adding more children to Earth

Editor’s note: This story is part of a series on climate change in the Kansas City region produced by the KC Media Collective to support and enhance local journalism so every person in Kansas City can lead a richer life. Members of the KC Media Collective are KCUR 89.3, American Public Square, Kansas City PBS/Flatland, Missouri Business…