New York City Council Member Kevin C. Riley is partnering with the non-profit Roads to Success and the youth development organization AIMHIGH Empowerment Institute Inc. to sponsor 40 Bronx youths to participate in the financial empowerment conference Invest Fest 2025 from Aug. 22-24 at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, Georgia.
Launched by the Earn Your Leisure platform, Invest Fest is an annual conference that fuses investing, entrepreneurship, pop culture, and entertainment to inspire and empower the next generation of leaders and changemakers. The event draws thousands of attendees, including investors, business executives, creatives, and innovators. Bronx youth participating in the event will have access to panel discussions, live interviews, networking opportunities, cultural activations, and more. The festival also features a marketplace with more than 400 small businesses and live podcast stages.
“Our young people deserve every opportunity to dream bigger, think boldly and build a future that includes financial independence and ownership,” Riley said. “By investing in their exposure to experiences like Invest Fest, we’re helping them to see beyond their everyday environment and imagine new possibilities. This experience goes far beyond a weekend event – it’s about shifting mindsets and opening doors that lead to generational wealth, leadership and purpose. I’m proud to partner with Roads to Success and AIMHIGH to ensure our youth are equipped, inspired and empowered to be the next generation of changemakers.”
The Bronx youths will be joined at Invest Fest by youths from Roads to Success and AIMHIGH as they take the national stage designed for economic empowerment, financial literacy and wealth-building in communities that are often underrepresented.
“Financial literacy and entrepreneurship are crucial life skills that can break the cycle of poverty and build generational wealth,” Roads to Success Chief Executive Officer Sheila Duke said. “By sponsoring these teenagers to participate in Invest Fest 2025, we are making a meaningful investment in their future and the future of the Bronx. Exposure to entrepreneurship and investment skills gives them essential tools for their personal and professional development.”
More than 7,000 youths from over 30 schools and community partners across New York City are served by Roads to Success. The organization works to provide them with an equitable path to success.
“The opportunity for young people to leave their Bronx neighborhood and go on this once-in-a-lifetime journey is all part of an eye-opening experience that combines inspiration and education,” Duke said. “By giving our youth access to successful role models, networking on a national level and real-world knowledge helps build a mindset for financial independence and business ownership that can turn dreams into reality.”
An average daily attendance of 25,000 people is expected at this year’s Invest Fest. There will be keynote speeches, wealth-building panels, live interviews, vendor activations, musical performances, pitch competitions and curated networking events.
Among the scheduled headliners for the event are Twitter and Block, Inc. Co-Founder Jack Dorsey and NBA Hall-of-Famer and business magnate Earvin “Magic” Johnson. There will also be featured appearances from Actress and Producer Issa Rae, Hip-Hop Artist 2 Chainz and conference partner Steve Harvey. The lineup will have plenty of other thought leaders, entrepreneurs and culture-shifters.
“For our youth, this experience represents more than a trip. It’s a transformational journey that will expand their mindset and ignite their purpose,” AIMHIGH Empowerment Institute Founder and CEO Sherman Browne said. “At AIMHIGH, we believe exposure leads to expansion, but it’s what our youth do with that exposure that truly matters. After last year’s Invest Fest, our students returned motivated and mobilized. They formed youth investment clubs, launched small businesses and began building wealth on their own terms.”
Prior to Invest Fest 2025, Roads to Success and AIMHIGH will be hosting a series of four workshops to prepare the youths who will be going, as well as their families. Next steps will be shared there on how the kids should prepare for the conference. All expenses for the conference will be covered, including transportation, accommodations, meals and event tickets. The kids will be accompanied by chaperones and escorts.
“This year, we’re looking forward to this opportunity producing real-world results now—not later, as our young leaders take bold steps toward financial independence,” Browne said. “This is their preparation for elevation—and we’re expecting extraordinary outcomes. We’re deeply grateful for the leadership of NYC Council Member Kevin C. Riley for prioritizing youth financial literacy education and investing in the future of the Bronx. We’re also glad to once again partner with Roads to Success on the Road to Invest Fest 2025.”
