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Empowering rural youth through STEAM Education, Entrepreneurship & Leadership Development

We provide hands-on entrepreneurship and innovation programs for local youth in Chaffee County and beyond.

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OUR MISSION

Elevate every student to their potential through mentorship, project-based learning, and real-world experiences that link classroom learning with innovation, career readiness, and community impact.

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EXPLORE OUR PROGRAMS

The Junior Edison Design DASH Incubator Cohort for Students in Middle School and Up

A hands-on  entrepreneurship + innovation program for local youth in Salida.

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A Vision for What’s Next

At Junior Edison, we are always looking ahead to how we can expand opportunities for youth in our community. One of our long-term goals is to create a dedicated Youth Innovation Center in Salida, a space designed to spark curiosity, creativity, and real-world skill building.

This future center would give students access to emerging technologies and hands-on learning experiences, including:

  • Virtual Reality (VR), drones, and 3D printing

  • A green screen media studio for storytelling and content creation

  • Smart Bricks and engineering-focused build tools

  • Tech classes and skill-building workshops

  • A speaker series featuring entrepreneurs and industry professionals

  • Dedicated space for our DASH program

  • Ongoing access to mentors and community experts

Beyond skill-building, this initiative is rooted in a larger vision: keeping our talented young people in Chaffee County. By providing opportunities to learn valuable skills, explore career pathways, and even launch their own ventures locally, we aim to support long-term economic vitality and reduce the need for graduates to leave for larger cities.

We are actively exploring options for a permanent home for the Innovation Center and developing a donor-matching capital campaign to help bring this vision to life.

More than just a facility, the Innovation Center will be a hub for exploration, collaboration, and innovation, where young people can turn ideas into action and build a future right here in their community.

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