About The ELETE Program
The ELETE Program offers financial and organizational support for a mission-driven collaboration between The United Negro College Fund, Village Juice & Kitchen, Historically Black Colleges & Universities (HBCUs), and other forward-thinking universities and corporate partners.
THE PROGRAM
Throughout the semester, the ELETE Program instructs students on essential business skills through a variety of interactive, professional workshops. Additionally, other practical skills are taught on the job at a newly constructed Village Juice & Kitchen campus locations, serving as one of the management training platforms to apply the skills learned in the classroom and workshops.
COMMUNITY
This partnership not only introduces students to key management skills but also introduces a previously unavailable, healthy, plant-based dining option on campuses, opening avenues for research on its impact. The University benefits from installation of a new healthy dining option on campus that can positively affect key health determinants to students' health.
STUDENTS
The Program carefully selects students and provides them with scholarships, cash stipends, and on-the-job pay while equipping them with diverse entrepreneurial and management skills. Upon completing the Program, students are guaranteed employment in their chosen field. Those aspiring to run their own restaurant can earn an equity interest in a Village Juice & Kitchen franchise without a personal financial contribution.
WIN-WIN-WIN
The ELETE Program, facilitated by a network of like-minded professionals, offers a mutually beneficial outcome for all stakeholders involved. Students gain invaluable experience, financial compensation, and professional connections to kickstart their careers in ways that may have not previously existed. Universities benefit from an enhanced curriculum and training program, along with the introduction of healthy dining options on campus. Corporate partners (like Village Juice & Kitchen) gain access to a pool of passionate, potentially overlooked young talent that has historically been ignored.
Partnerships
UNCF x ELETE:
A 5 Year Commitment to Academic Success and Mentorship
UNCF has agreed to a minimum five (5) year commitment to supporting the ELETE Program on HBCU campuses served by UNCF.
Each year, UNCF will provide a minimum of two (2) full-tuition scholarships per year (or the equivalent) to the students accepted in the Programs.
Awardees will receive a scholarship forwarded to their university at the beginning of the semester of enrollment. UNCF will distribute at least one scholarship per year, per university location, commensurate with the student’s academic performance and program participation. UNCF will consider additional scholarships for more student participation, at its discretion.