Aspen is a place for leaders to lift their sights above the possessions which possess them. To confront their own nature as human beings, to regain control over their own humanity by becoming more self-aware, more self-correcting, and hence more self-fulfilling.

Walter P. Paepcke, Aspen Institute Co-Founder
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In the Bolton Hill neighborhood of Baltimore, MD, there is a coffee shop called Llamas’ Corner. If you go on a Saturday, you will likely find a group of sixth, seventh, and eight graders behind the counter, offering you a new espresso drink that they created.

It’s just one program for youth offered by Unlimited Potential, an organization that partners with businesses and spaces in the community, like schools and community centers, and creates programs to help young people thrive. It aims to “be who you needed when you were younger,” says Haneef Hardy, the founder. “It’s about providing the support and opportunities that can change a young person’s trajectory and we need everyone around them, from their teachers to their parents to their neighbors, to help them succeed.”

The owners of Llamas’ Corner were excited to create stronger bonds within the community. One day a month, teens shadow the business owners and tackle an entrepreneurship challenge. “The owners organize mini case studies for the youth to give them hands-on practice,” says Hardy. That might be finding a faster way to take inventory. It might be designing a new ad or inventing a specialty coffee drink.

“A lot of the kids in our program live in the community where Llamas’ Corner is located. They might have passed it a million times, but they never went inside because they didn’t feel they belonged,” says Hardy. “Now, they come and they feel like family here. They bring their friends and family because they feel connected to it.”

Hardy says the idea to focus on entrepreneurship came from the youth themselves. “We ran a survey a few years back to ask them about their life’s goals, and virtually every one of them said that they wanted to be an entrepreneur. We started this program to provide them with the practical skills to achieve their dreams and to reinforce that you don’t have to leave your community to be successful. That you can restore and revitalize your community when you work and build trust with others.”

Unlimited Potential works with youth in middle school and follows them until they graduate from high school. Their programs focus in three areas: helping kids develop socio-emotional skills at school, teaching them entrepreneurship and financial skills in partnership with Loyola University Maryland, and helping them connect with their community to tackle shared issues and celebrate successes together.

But the work is not just about giving youth skills. Hardy says teens reach their full potential when they feel they belong and are valued. So Unlimited Potential’s Uplift Committee brings together neighbors and parents to organize community events, fairs, and celebrations. Hardy says 150 to 200 people typically attend each event.

There are “Shop Talks” and “Salon Talks” where, once a month, young men get a free haircut and young women get their nails done. At a typical Shop Talk, up to eight barbers donate their time for 3-4 hours and boys can hang out with adults that include teachers or school counselors, licensed therapists, and “influencers” – folks in the community the youth look up to, such as sports stars, businesspeople, and artists.

The idea is to give youth “the space to have deep conversations about death and love, about drugs and murder, about their futures or whatever they want to talk about,” says Hardy. “It’s a space where everyone can be human and nurturing to each other. We also want them to see that the people around them, like their teachers, are not far from them and they can turn to them for mentorship.”

Unlimited Potential currently serves 110 families and 235 youth. This year, it will graduate the first 60 kids to have gone through its entrepreneurship program from middle school on. Hardy says the formula is simple. “It’s about our community coming together, investing in ourselves, and uplifting each other.”

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