>>> THIS SEGMENT IS PART OF OUR

CHASING THE DREAM INITIATIVE ON

POVERTY AND OPPORTUNITY THIS

AMERICA.

WHILE UNEMPLOYMENT REMAINS LOW

THE TALENT GAP AMONG EMPLOYEES

IS EVER WIDENING.

A RECENT REPORT FROM THE CAREER

NETWORKING SITE LINKED IN SAID

THAT THE U.S. IS SHORT

1.4 MILLION PROFESSIONALS.

BUT WE WANT TO TELL YOU ABOUT AN

INITIATIVE THAT'S WORKING TO

BRIDGE THAT DIVIDE AND OFFERING

AN ENTREPRENEURIAL TRAINING TO

YOUNG PEOPLE FROM LOW INCOME

COMMUNITIES RIGHT HERE IN NEW

YORK.

THE NETWORK FOR TEACHING

ENTREPRENEURSHIP THE PROGRAM

WHICH IS IN PARTNERSHIP BE THE

CITI FOUNDATION IS PROVIDING

HANDS ON BUSINESS TRAINING THIS

SUMMER.

AMONG THE YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS IS

MELANIE KNIGHT, A RECENT

GRADUATE OF BROOKLYN SCHOOL OF

ARTS AND HEADED TO NYU THIS FALL

AND THE HEAD OF THE MORTGAGE

GROUP OF CITIGROUP.

WELCOME TO BOTH OF YOU.

>> THANK YOU.

>> THANK YOU.

>> DAVID, LET ME START WITH YOU.

ABOUT THE PROGRAM, HOW DID IT

GET STARTED AND WHAT WAS THE

IDEA BEHIND IT?

>> THE PROGRAM STARTED AS OUR

PATHWAYS FOR PROGRESS TO REALLY

PUT $100 MILLION TO WORK.

IT'S REALLY FOCUSED ON THIS

EXACT CHALLENGE, THIS EXACT

PROBLEM, THE YOUTH UNEMPLOYMENT.

REALLY OUR GOAL IS TO IMPACT THE

HALF A MILLION YOUNG CHILDREN,

CHILDREN WHO WILL BECOME

PROFESSIONALS AND JOIN THE

WORKFORCE.

I CAN TELL YOU THE PROGRAM IS

REALLY EXCITING AND VIBRANT.

NOT JUST FROM THE IMPACT IT'S

HAVING WITH THE INDIVIDUALS BUT

FRANKLY THEIR COMMUNITIES TOO.

YOU KNOW --

>> IN WHAT SENSE?

HOW IS IT IMPACTING THE

COMMUNITIES?

>> THE COMMUNITIES IN TERMS OF

HOW THESE INDIVIDUALS ARE

ENTERING THE WORKFORCE AND

GIVING BACK TO THEIR COMMUNITIES

IN A REALLY EXCITING WAY.

A LOT OF THE ENTREPRENEURS THAT

WE ARE SEEING COME THROUGH THE

NIFTY PROGRAM AS ONE EXAMPLE,

NOT JUST BUILDING NEW BUSINESSES

BUT THEY'RE BRINGING IN THE

FRIENDS, BRINGING IN THE

CLASSMATES, TO JOIN THE NEW

WAVES OF PROGRAMS SO IT'S REALLY

SPARKING I WOULD SAY A GREAT

PROGRESS, A GREAT REVOLUTION,

HOW WE THINK OF BRINGING MORE

YOUNG PEOPLE NOT JUST INTO THE

WORKFORCE BUT TO BECOME

ENTREPRENEURS AND BUILD THEIR

OWN BUSINESSES.

>> SO MELANIE, HOW DID YOU GET

INVOLVED IN THIS PROGRAM?

>> WELL, I WAS INTRODUCED TO

THIS PROGRAM THROUGH MY

ECONOMICS SENIOR CLASS.

I ALREADY HAD LIKE AN

ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRIT.

I ALWAYS LIKE SOLD BROWNIES IN

SCHOOL AND LOLLIPOPS AND ALL

THAT.

SO THE IDEA THAT WE COULD START

A BUSINESS FROM THE GROUND UP

AND PUT OUR PASSIONS INTO OUR

BUSINESS AND HAVING A BETTER

UNDERSTANDING OF HOW WE COULD

ECONOMICALLY STABLE THROUGH WHAT

WE CREATED --

>> SO SOMETHING THAT YOU'RE

REALLY INTERESTED IN?

>> YEAH.

>> LET ME TALK ABOUT WHAT YOU'RE

REALLY INTERESTED IN BECAUSE --

ART IS VERY MUCH A FOCUS OF YOUR

LIFE.

>> YES.

>> YOU HAVE -- YOU ALSO GOT

INVOLVED IN SORT OF STARTING UP

A KIND OF A BUSINESS THAT

INVOLVED ART.

TELL ME ABOUT THAT.

>> OKAY.

SO ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS THAT

WE LEARNED IN ECONOMICS WAS THE

IDEA THAT WE CAN CREATE

BUSINESSES TO HELP SOLVE ISSUES

IN SOCIETY.

I COME FROM AN ART SCHOOL.

SO I'M AN ARTIST.

SO I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE AN

IMPORTANT ASPECT OF PLANNING FOR

MY BUSINESS.

I WANTED TO CREATE A BUSINESS

THAT HELPED REVERSE THE NEGATIVE

STIGMAS TOWARDS ART IN SOCIETY.

YOU CAN SEE THIS WHEN WE HAVE

THE ART BUDGETS CUT IN SCHOOL.

LIKE THERE'S A PESSIMISTIC

ATTITUDE TOWARDS THOSE WHO TRY

TO PURSUE ART AS A CAREER SO I

WANTED TO CREATE A BUSINESS THAT

WOULD HELP REVERSE THE ISSUES I

SAW.

>> TELL ME WHAT YOU DID WITH

THAT BUSINESS.

I THOUGHT IT WAS INTERESTING HOW

YOU STARTED OFF.

AND THE SERVICE, THE PRODUCT

THAT YOU'RE PROVIDING.

>> OKAY, SO IT'S A CHILDREN AND

TEENS SERVICE, CHILDREN FROM AGE

TO 8 TO 18.

AND GOING TO CHOOSING AND

BRINGING THE JOY OF ART TO YOU.

SO I WANTED TO USE THE

COMPONENTS OF MY BUSINESS TO

HELP REVERSE THESE ISSUES THAT I

SAW WITH YOUNG ARTISTS LIKE IN

UNEMPLOYMENT AND BRINGING ART TO

SOCIETY IN A CREATIVE WAY.

>> WHEN YOU LOOK, DAVID, IN

TERMS OF PHILANTHROPIES, YOU

KNOW, THERE WAS A TIME WHERE

PEOPLE WOULD SAY, FINE, WE'LL

WRITE CHECKS.

BUT IN LOOKING AT CITI AND THE

FOUNDATION HERE AND LOOKING AT

MELANIE WHO BENEFITED IMMENSELY

FROM THAT, WHEN YOU TALK TO

OTHER PEOPLE ABOUT THE VALUE OF

A PROGRAM LIKE THIS, WHAT DO YOU

SAY TO THEM?

>> WELL, LOOK, IT STARTS WITH

THE IMPACT AND ULTIMATELY WHEN

WE HEAR 67 MILLION YOUNG PEOPLE

WHO ARE UNDEREMPLOYED OR

UNEMPLOYED IT'S A PROBLEM THAT

NEEDS FOCUS.

IF YOU SEE THE GREAT ECONOMIC

PROGRESS THERE ARE THOSE WHO

AREN'T GOING IT AND WE FEEL AN

OBLIGATION TO ENABLE PROGRESS IN

THE COMMUNITIES.

THAT'S NOT HOW I TALK ABOUT WITH

PEOPLE DAY TO DAY, I SAY, COME

MEET MELANIE, HOW DO YOU NOT GET

EXCITED WHEN YOU HEAR THE

STORIES AND THE PASSION, THAT

SPIRIT OF DRIVING GROWTH AND NEW

BUSINESSES.

HONESTLY, THE 10,000 PLUS

VOLUNTEERS AT CITI WHO ARE

ENGAGED IN THIS AND YES, IT'S

PART OF OUR MISSION, BUT WE DO

IT BECAUSE WE'RE HAVING A GREAT

TIME LEARNING, WORKING TOGETHER.

THE IMPACT OF WORKING WITH THE

COMMUNITY.

I THINK IT'S JUST A REWARDING

EXPERIENCE DAY BY DAY AND TAKING

A STEP BACK AND IT BECOMES MORE

PROFOUND.

>> IT'S NICE THE NOTION OF DOING

WELL AND DOING GOOD AND THAT THE

PEOPLE WHO ARE VOLUNTEERING CAN

BENEFIT AS MUCH FROM IT IN MANY

WAYS AS THOSE WHO ARE THE

BENEFICIARIES OF THIS.

SO MELANIE, GOOD LUCK TO YOU.

I DON'T THINK YOU NEED OUR LUCK.

I THINK YOU'LL DO VERY WELL AT

NYU.

WE LOOK FORWARD TO TRACKING YOU.

AND SEEING HOW WELL YOU DO AND

DAVID, THANKS TO YOU AND THE

VOLUNTEERS.

THE GOOD FOLKS AT CITI AND THE

FOUNDATION FOR DOING SOME

MARVELLOUS WORK.

GOOD LUCK TO YOU.

>> THANK YOU.