Why Entrepreneurship?
“Entrepreneurship is a survival framework. It saved my life. [Good Life] is teaching it to the youth that need it the most” – Stephens Gilfus, Founder of Blackboard and CourseInfo LLC.
“Entrepreneurship is a survival framework” is a powerful reframe of what entrepreneurship represents—especially for at-risk youth in inner-city environments. Rather than just being a path to wealth or independence, entrepreneurship is a critical life strategy—a way to navigate limited resources, systemic barriers, and volatile life conditions.
At its core, entrepreneurship is about:
- Identifying opportunities in chaos
- Using limited resources creatively
- Building value from what’s available
- Taking ownership over one’s future
For inner-city youth who may face poverty, unstable housing, lack of access to jobs, education gaps, or criminalization, traditional pathways often feel closed or inaccessible. Entrepreneurship becomes a form of survival—not just economic, but mental, emotional, and cultural. It allows youth to:
- Monetize skills and talents (music, fashion, tech, etc.)
- Build independence and avoid harmful street economies
- Create identity and purpose
- Establish legal and dignified means of income
Why It Works as a Survival Framework
At Good Life Youth Foundation, we are not just youth mentoring agency. Our focus on entrepreneurship as a guiding factor to our model allows for us to also design, create, and operate various social ventures that allow us to hire, train, and graduate youth into creating their own businesses toward self-sustainability. We believe that by providing young people with the tools and resources they need to succeed, we can break the cycle of poverty and create a better future for all.
Why HipHop Culture?
“The short of it is that HIPHOP IS THE HOOK. IDENTITY IS THE GOAL.” You reach them through the beats. You keep them through the bars. But what you’re really building is self-worth, vision, and power.“ – Hasan Stephens – Founder & CEO
The Good Life approach of using HipHop as a vehicle for understanding and creating identity is a transformative strategy—because HipHop itself is a survival framework, just like entrepreneurship. When you combine the two, you’re speaking directly to the soul, voice, and lived experience of at-risk youth creating identity and purpose.
HipHop as a Survival Framework
At Good Life, we use HipHop not just as music—but as a tool for survival, identity, and transformation. Rooted in resistance and resilience, HipHop speaks the language of at-risk youth and reflects their realities. From emceeing and breakin’ to beatmaking and streetwear, HipHop becomes a platform for self-expression, healing, education, and entrepreneurship.
Through this culture, young people gain a voice, build confidence, and tap into their creative power. HipHop allows them to process trauma, challenge injustice, and create opportunity—turning their pain into purpose. At Good Life, HipHop is more than a vibe—it’s a framework for freedom, self-discovery, and ownership in a world that often leaves them unheard.