BUSINESS FOR THE YOUTH

Positive impacts on a community don’t always need an adult to start change.
Business for the Youth, founded in April 2023, developed from the mind of Sam Vahhaji during his sophomore year at Southwest High School.
Vahhaji was running a slipper business on Etsy that garnered success, and his business prowess drew the attention of his classmates. “All of my friends wanted to know how I got this business to be super big, and so I thought, ‘why not make a club out of it,’” Vahhaji explains. Business was only the first step of Vahhaji’s club, as he soon transitioned to a club teaching students how to run a business and finally to a certified nonprofit. “We would do weekly meetings, and I would teach them how to run a business,” Vahhaji says. “One week it would be how to run a drop-shipping website or how to have a successful clothing brand. And I wanted something impactful to come out of it, so I decided to combine service with [the club].”
Business for the Youth began in the halls of Southwest High School, and started raising money through food sales. Their first event involved club members selling Raising Cane’s to the school community. $400 later from the food sale, “We initiated a toy drive for Afghan refugee kids and used some money to buy supplies… We had it up for a course of two weeks and we got close to 150 donations,” Vahhaji says. The food sale and toy drive were fueled by Business for the Youth’s mission of “engag[ing] students in acts of service through business transactions.”
Business for the Youth has forged a strong relationship with Alight, a global nonprofit focused on aiding and welcoming displaced peoples into new places. Minnesota’s branch particularly provides resources like health products and shelter for Afghan immigrants. The toy drive stemmed directly from conversations with Alight leaders about Afghan families that had recently come to Minnesota.
Vahhaji learned about Alight’s work through his mother’s work. “My mom is a medical interpreter. She works with Afghan refugee children. My mom was telling me about them… and I wanted a way to help them. I met with one of the families, and I spoke Dari with them,” Vahhaji says. Vahhaji speaks Farsi, but understands Dari well because Dari generally only differentiates from Farsi in accent. Dari is commonly spoken in Afghanistan while Farsi is spoken in Iran. “My mom said that Alight is one of the biggest organizations helping Afghan refugees within Minneapolis. I sent Alight an email… and pitched the idea of wanting to help Afghan kids.”
Vahhaji also drew inspiration for his service with Alight from his own experiences learning English. “English is my second language… I didn’t speak English fluently until first or second grade, so I felt like an outlier in my own community,” Vahhaji explains. “I know how hard it is to adapt to a place where you can’t speak English. I heard their stories and how hard it was to come to America after living most of their lives in Afghanistan. We were able to build a friendship with them.”
Certain aspects of Business for the Youth’s activity are unique to other nonprofits, notably the intersection of businesses and service to communities in need. Business and service may not have a direct relationship, but there was no doubt in Vahhaji’s mind what he wanted to use his club for.
“Business itself is very [leadership-based]. You are the one making the rules. I think that business is something that a lot of kids want to learn,” Vahhaji shares. “I’ve had so many other businesses, and it’s developed me as a person.”
The group’s emphasis on self-reliance and innovation inspired the formation of new chapters around the Twin Cities. “A lot of my friends from other high schools… wanted to have a Business for the Youth at their school,” Vahhaji says. “So I thought ‘why not make this organization into a chapter-based organization so we can impact more communities outside of the Southwest Minneapolis area?’”
Business for the Youth will open a chapter at Washburn High School and Saint Paul Academy this coming fall, also run by students attending those schools. A chapter at Edina High School is expected, as well.
The group has quickly outgrown the walls of Southwest High School. Business for the Youth boasts 21 chapters across the United States, from California to Massachusetts. By the start of this year, Business for the Youth will even have a chapter in Turkey and in India.
The power of youth also shines through the nonprofit’s mission, as the group is entirely run by high schoolers. From events to website and Instagram management, students took initiative to create the successful organization.
“I just want to be able to make kids my age leaders within their community,” explains Vahhaji. “Perhaps if college doesn’t work, Business for the Youth prepares them for the next step of wanting to be a leader for themselves.”
The organization is now a certified nonprofit and boasts many members within Southwest High School and beyond. Vahhaji highlights the potential of student-led clubs and groups, particularly when they are focused on cooperation. “I think youth-led organizations are super important because there’s no adult in the room, and so you all have to work with each other and hear everyone out. For Business for the Youth, it’s very collaborative,” Vahhaji says. “Within Southwest, we were super successful. We were able to work really well with each other… We’re ultimately hoping to lead to more change within everyone else’s communities within the chapters.”
Vahhaji also credits Business for the Youth vice president Shivani Patel, Chapter Coordinator Madeline Gray, and Event Manager Evie Stukle with the nonprofit’s success across Minnesota and the United States. However, he doesn’t forget about the volunteers during events that allow for Business for the Youth’s growth. “I definitely wasn’t able to do this alone… All that collaboration within the organization has been able to bring it to where it is today.”
Even as Vahhaji enters his senior year of high school and prepares to go to college, he hopes to remain involved with Business for the Youth. “I really want to still work with Business for the Youth in college,” says Vahhaji. “We also want to have another executive leadership board in high school so they are fully able to work on everything.”
Vahhaji lays out his plans for Business for the Youth and his goals for its future endeavors. “I just want to get Business for the Youth as big as possible because all we want is change within our community and helping underrepresented people,” Vahhaji shares. “Our chapter… really focused on helping Afghan refugee children, but any other chapter wherever they are could help any underrepresented people. My hope is getting [Business for the Youth] as big as possible and just making as much change within people’s communities.”
More at businessfortheyouth.org or email businessfortheyouth@gmail.com.