ADIDAS, IOVINE AND YOUNG ACADEMY AND PENSOLE LAUNCH PARTNERSHIP TO INSPIRE THE CREATIVE MINDS OF STUDENTS FROM MARGINALIZED COMMUNITIES
- adidas deepens its commitment to the L.A. community with this new partnership intended to provide opportunities and create lasting change for students
- The program will offer an entirely new way of learning for students passionate about design, technology and entrepreneurship
- The new programs will be available throughout L.A. County with a focus on marginalized communities who otherwise do not receive the same educational opportunities
- adidas working alongside Pharrell's Black Ambition will support local entrepreneurs and host the Inglewood Prize competition
LOS ANGELES, Feb. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Today's students are imagining a world and career path far beyond what traditional systems are set up to provide. Design and creative hobbies have become more than just that – they are an opportunity for youth to explore a future that can become a career. Today, adidas is proud to support the Iovine and Young Academy and PENSOLE founder Dr. D'Wayne Edwards in an expanded partnership to create opportunities for students to embrace creativity and see expanded possibilities for their future.
adidas, Iovine and Young Academy and PENSOLE launch partnership to inspire the creative minds of students from marginalized communities
The new program will offer an entirely new way of learning for students passionate about design, technology and entrepreneurship
adidas deepens its commitment to the L.A. community with new partnership intended to provide opportunities and create lasting change for students
adidas is proud to support the Iovine and Young Academy and PENSOLE founder Dr. D'Wayne Edwards in an expanded partnership to create opportunities for students to embrace creativity and see expanded possibilities for their future
"This partnership marks an ongoing chapter to offer the next generation of creative thinkers and dreamers the skills to shape the future of design. Despite someone's background or economic standing, kids bold enough to dream big should be provided with equitable access to education," said Edwards, PENSOLE Founder. PENSOLE was established in 2010 by Edwards to give talented young design students—regardless of socioeconomic background—an opportunity to learn from the industry's best.
This past fall, in partnership with the USC Iovine and Young Academy, students participated in a series of "Wood U" workshops, working with adidas and Inglewood native, D Smoke to design an apparel and footwear line driven by longevity, ambition, power and love, that will launch in select LA stores on 2/7.
The Iovine and Young Academy was founded by Jimmy Iovine and Andre "Dr. Dre" Young in 2013 to give young, creative disruptors the tools and inspiration to develop as leaders, innovators and entrepreneurs. In partnership with Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre, LAUSD will launch a new high school (currently known as Regional High School #1) whose curriculum will build on the Academy's unique approach that combines design, business, and technology with hands-on, real-world learning. Together with adidas and PENSOLE, the partnership will give young students of color who are passionate about design unparalleled access to future careers and opportunities.
"adidas has long been involved in the Los Angeles area and its community. As part of our commitment to continue to support communities and our youth, we're proud to be part of these new partnerships to advance opportunities for students from communities who are historically underserved," said Ayesha Martin, adidas Senior Director, Communities & Social Impact. "We're bringing together the absolute best in sport, business and design – first working with students in the Los Angeles area and then with others around the country through adidas Community."
More details on the partnership, including a launch video narrated by Inglewood native and two-time GRAMMY-nominated artist, philanthropist and entrepreneur D Smoke, are available at www.adidas.com/us/wood_u.
Join the adidas Community platform to explore the Wood U curriculum and other workshops at community.adidas.com. The goal of the platform is to increase diversity within our industry and society by providing access to mentors, curricula and events for under-represented youth - invaluable tools and resources to enable them to become change-makers. adidas Community is a platform and a mindset, a new classroom and window into the world, a space for collaboration and connection, a chance to create the future, starting now. When we have the ability to see possibilities for our youth, we shape a better future together.
SUPPORTING INGLEWOOD AREA ENTREPENEURS As part of a deeper commitment to the L.A. community, adidas is working with Pharrell's Black Ambition organization, a non-profit working toward closing the opportunity and wealth gap through entrepreneurship by investing in Black and Latinx founders. South Los Angeles-area mentors will host a series of workshops at the end of January ranging from crowdfunding tactics to sustainable practices for local communities. The week will culminate in the opportunity for Black and Latinx entrepreneurs to pitch their business ideas to Pharrell's Inglewood Prize competition for funding consideration.
Join the conversation @adidasLA on Twitter and Instagram.
About adidas adidas is a global designer and developer of athletic and lifestyle footwear, apparel, and accessories with the mission to be the best sports brand in the world. As an innovation and design leader, adidas engineers the best in high-performance products to make athletes better, faster, and stronger and creates a range of classic and fresh lifestyle and high-fashion lines.
About PENSOLE PENSOLE was founded in 2010 to give talented young design students—regardless of socioeconomic background—an opportunity to learn from the industry's best, without financial barriers, and to provide the industry with a farm system for the next generation of footwear designers. PENSOLE's "learn by doing" curriculum teaches students the entire footwear/materials/functional apparel design process: inspiration, concept-development, design process, problem solving, materials, business, networking, marketing, and branding. In summer 2022 Pensole Lewis College of Business and Design will open as the 1st design focused HBCU in Detroit, MI.
About Iovine & Young Academy The Jimmy Iovine and Andre Young Academy was founded in 2013 by entrepreneurs Jimmy Iovine and Andre "Dr. Dre" Young to teach critical thinking, complex problem solving, and nurture unbridled creativity at the intersection of three essential areas: art and design; engineering and computer science; and business and venture management. Conceived as an educational startup, the Academy is not just a home for disruptors but a disruptor itself. Its model is unique among higher education institutions and continues to achieve student outcomes that garner recognition from higher education, research, big tech, and the creative industries.
About Regional High School #1 Regional High #1 will open in the fall of the 2022-23 school year. The school will provide 120 magnet seats (approximate class size of 30 students) in grades 9-10 for the 2022-2023 school year. Through a partnership with USC Iovine and Young Academy, Regional HS #1 will employ a uniquely integrated design, business, and technology curriculum to supplement and enhance traditional subject matter to empower the next generation of thought leaders, innovators, and entrepreneurs. The curriculum will provide new career paths and opportunities as well as increased access to top college programs through a cutting-edge college prep curriculum, and enhanced learning programs that focus on critical thinking and analysis.
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