John Hope Bryant

From the HOPE Archives: John Hope Bryant and Ambassador Andrew Young at B.E.S.T Academy

 

The Founding Donors for new Operation HOPE Business-In-A-Box Program for America's Youth

Introducing HOPE Business-In-A-Box, and the first founding $50.00 donors to the program for youth entrepreneurship development -- Mr. and Mrs. Spence and Jean Wiles.

Jean and Spence presented this $50.00 check to me on my birthday, establishing themselves as the first donors to this amazing new initiative to inspire a generation of entrepreneurs, small business owners and "self-employment projects."  A special thank you as well goes out to Claude and Juanita Bryan, who also made a commitment on the same evening to sponsor another HOPE Business-In-A-Box.

HOPE Business-In-A-Box is a signature initiative of and for our new HOPE Office of Small Business and Entrepreneurship, all launched during my birthday week.  Here is how it works....

The Mother of Financial Literacy and Financial Dignity

This is literally my mother, Ms. Juanita Smith, but I am not simply being sentimental here.  She IS the mother of financial literacy, leading to financial dignity, that I know in my life. 

When we were growing up my mother divorced my dad, essentially over money and how decisions were impacting the children.  My dad is a good man and is the reason I am an entrepreneur today, but mom was the financial model -- and she was not playing!  I tell her story in more fullness in my bestselling business book LOVE LEADERSHIP: The New Way to Lead in a Fear-Based Leadership (Jossey-Bass).

My mother believed in investing her time and her money.  She accepted a job, far below her know-how and skills, as the janitor in my elementary school, just so that she could watch over me.  Before that, she started a nursery business, so that she had a (funded) excuse to spend time with me early in my formative years.  What a women.

Why I Do What I Do

I do it for THIS reason.  To see THIS expression on a young person's face.  Just look at this ~ it is literally priceless. And all I had to do here was to sign and give him a copy of my bestselling business book LOVE LEADERSHIP: The New Way to Lead in a Fear-Based World (Jossey-Bass).  Did you "get" what I just said?  I gave the young man a BUSINESS book.  Not fiction (all good by the way), or a comic, or some rap lyrics (all good too).  But a book on business and leadership, and inspired in the right way, this young man just lit up like a Christmas tree.

This is why I do what I do, and why I believe so passionately in our work in financial dignity at Operation HOPE, and the promise of the silver rights movement.

Our young people increasingly don't have something tangible of even aspirational to believe in, and as a result, we are losing them.

A Untapped Resource in Atlanta

Last week I toured the Atlanta Workforce Development Agency with its director, Ms. Deborah Lum, and to say I was impressed would be an understatement.  They do so much here for the poor, the underserved and really -- just anyone that is striving in their lives for a future that is "better," brighter and more aspirational.

The center grew and helped high students attend college under Mayor Shirley Franklin, and is doing even more under the administration of Mayor Kasim Reed.

John Hope Bryant Speaks Before Denver Public Schools for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebrations Tomorrow

SPECIAL FROM THE DENVER POST

MLK program "Painting the Seed, Growing the Seed," will be from 2 to 4:30 p.m. at the Evie Dennis Campus Building, 1 West Commons, 4800 Teluride St., Denver. The keynote speaker will be John Hope Bryant. Music selections: First Lady of Denver Mary Hancock (Mary Louise Lee); solo selection, Sia Chandler. Info: Sylvia Bookhardt,Sylvia_bookhardt@dpsk12.org, 303-229-1997, or Ani Reddy,Reddy@dpsk12.org, 970-310-4526.

Read more:Colorado events for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. - The Denver Posthttp://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_19749758#ixzz1jaoCN424
Read The Denver Post's Terms of Use of its content: http://www.denverpost.com/termsofuse

 

John Hope Bryant is a thought leader, founder, chairman and CEO of Operation HOPE and Bryant Group Companies, Inc. Magazine/CEO READ bestselling business author of LOVE LEADERSHIP: The New Way to Lead in a Fear-Based World (Jossey-Bass) the only African-American bestselling business author in America, and a Member of the U.S. President’s Advisory Council on Financial Capability for President Barack Obama.  Mr. Bryant is the co-founder of the Gallup-HOPE Index, the only national research poll on youth financial dignity and youth economic energy in the U.S. He is also a co-founder of Global Dignity with HRH Crown Prince Haakon of Norway and Professor Pekka Himanen of Finland. Global Dignity is affiliated with the Forum of Young Global Leaders and the World Economic Forum. 

 

White House Highlights James Bailey as a “Champion of Change” For Following in the Footsteps of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

The entire Operation HOPE family is proud of James "Jay" Bailey. I am personally very, very proud of him. He is helping us shape our movement for silver rights change and empowerment here in our Atlanta market. Join me and us in celebrating our friend and colleague Jay Bailey.

Watch Jay Bailey live RIGHT NOW, on the White House website!  

White House Highlights James Bailey as a “Champion of Change” For Following in the Footsteps of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr..

I Believe in our Youth so Much, I am Backing Them in Business!

In early 2012, Operation HOPE (HOPE) will unveil its HOPE Office of Small Business & Entrepreneurship (HOSBE), operating from the Office of the Chairman.

On the eve of HOPE’s 20-year anniversary, the HOSBE will connect the 19-year plus track record of HOPE’s ‘input’ power (youth and adults accessing and utilizing HOPE’s battery of financial dignity programs and initiatives) with HOPE’s mostly untapped and transformational ‘output’ power. 

The goal internally at HOPE is to finally translate the well-known qualitative ‘good works’ of HOPE into undeniable quantitative impact; as measured by the HOPE Office of Innovation, Research & Assessment (HOIRA), and the Gallup-HOPE Index.

The goal externally is nothing less than 21^st century transformational change at the level of the local under-served community eco-system. To create a new culture of self-empowerment and entrepreneurial spirit at the level of community, and a new culture of self-generated job creation amongst our youth.

A new ‘silver rights’ culture for youth financial literacy and economic energy in America fired by the Gallup-HOPE Index Cities Initiative. We intend to be the absolute global authority on youth hope, youth economic energy and youth financial literacy, period.  That work starts here, now.

HOPE Business-In-A-Box 

And Here Comes 5MK

 

And here comes Quincy Jones, QD3, Tyrese Gibson and so many more. Let's go.

Inspired By President' Obama's Call for Youth Jobs Now, Operation HOPE Announces Special Youth Opportunity Commitment tied to Gallup-HOPE Index Cities Initiative

Inspired by President Barack Obama's call to leading private sector and community-based organizations to act now, helping to create youth business internships, jobs and opportunity, Operation HOPE stepped forward and made a unique commitment to actually operationalize the Gallup-HOPE Index Cities Initiative, which is built around our recently launched Gallup-HOPE Index National Poll.  

Operation HOPE was honored to step forward, and to develop something that can show real results in real communities.  Here is how it works. 

On October 13th, 2011, Gallup and Operation HOPE (HOPE) released a first-ever national data poll around youth financial literacy and youth economic energy in America.  Complete summary national Index data findings can be found at http://www.gallup.com/poll/150077/students-entrepreneurial-energy-waiting-tapped.aspx.

"The short-term goal is youth jobs, but the long-term goal #1, in every major urban city, is moving cities from 77/5, to 77/20." 

The national poll had a 3% margin of error and covered the Q34 breakthrough questions, as designed by Gallup social scientists.  All of the results were both telling and compelling, and further confirmed both Gallup and HOPE's fundamental belief that aspirations, hope and opportunity, and focusing on youth's 'strengths,' rather than their weaknesses, is the key to get young people to both enroll and to become real stakeholders in their own future success. 

77/5

One of the most compelling data stat groups that seemed to jump out and distinguish itself from the national raw data, was youth responses to two critical questions:

1. 77% of all youth report that they want to be their own boss.
2. 5% of all youth report that they currently have a business internship or business mentor.