Ken Barry is on a mission to help young people chart their own career paths.
He started the Uthiverse to help youth learn about entrepreneurship and start their own businesses.
“I began the Uthiverse based on the voices and cries of underserved youth and their families,” he said. “One particular outcry was the limited opportunities for youth in the city to find jobs.”
On Oct. 24, he took one step closer to realizing that dream when he opened the new Infinite Suite at 1351 W. 11th St. in Gary. The space provides coworking space with large screens, virtual meeting capability and high-speed Wi-Fi. Memberships support the Uthiverse's programming.
The Uthiverse offers a space for teens to explore a variety of opportunities as they transition to adulthood. The organization focuses on mental health, college and career readiness, workforce development and entrepreneurship.
Opportunities will take place throughout the Region, but activities will be based at The Uthiverse’s Infinite Suite in Gary and Listen to Our Future Community Space in Indianapolis.
Last spring, the Uthiverse staged its first inaugural StartUp Madness Business Pitch Tournament on the Purdue University Northwest Hammond campus.
A Gary native, Ken Barry has worked with teens who want to launch businesses. Ken and Nicole Barry founded The Universe after observing how other organizations are training teens. Their vision is a generation of equipped, empowered and engaged innovators, entrepreneurs, community and civic leaders and talent for the workforce.
“We offer young people opportunities, not programs,” Ken Barry notes on the Uthiverse website.
Learn more about coworking space and memberships here.
