IDEATE x ACTIVATE: Building Leaders and Strengthening Mindsets

We welcomed a new group of ambitious high school students into our IDEATE x ACTIVATE program, an 18-week journey designed to transform creativity into leadership, and ideas into impact.

Each year, this program challenges students to explore entrepreneurship not just as a career path but as a mindset rooted in problem-solving, innovation, and community transformation. From the very first session, this cohort showed up ready to build, learn, and lead.

Guided by returning instructor Rob Lega and new instructor Makinde Adedapo, this year’s cohort kicked off their journey with collaboration, curiosity, and a commitment to growth. Rob and Makinde bring a unique energy to this process. Their approach blends tactical business training with real-world perspective, ensuring students learn not only how to build a business, but why their mindset is the foundation of leadership.

The kickoff featured a series of hands-on activities designed to spark creativity and teamwork.

This year, one standout moment came during Mix & Mingle, a networking activity where students practiced introductions, shared their goals, and built confidence in communicating their ideas.

Each week, students will dive deeper into the entrepreneurial process, learning to identify problems, collaborate on solutions, and develop prototypes that create real impact. But more importantly, they’ll learn how to lead: with purpose, with empathy, and with belief in their own potential.

Over the coming months, students will form teams and design business ideas that address challenges in their communities. Weekly sessions blend creative exploration with concrete skill-building in marketing, customer discovery, project management, and more.

These experiences aren’t only focused on launching businesses. Students are also developing the confidence, communication, and problem-solving skills that make great leaders.

IDEATE x ACTIVATE continues to be one of the most transformative experiences at The Gray Matter Experience. Each cohort brings a new wave of creativity and purpose, reinforcing our mission to equip youth with the mindset, access, and training to lead and innovate in their communities.

We’re excited to watch this class turn their ideas into action.

Learn more about how we build leaders through entrepreneurship at https://www.graymatterexperience.com/programs

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