Tiffany Yau: Creating Social Entrepreneurial Curriculum to Empower Youth

Ladderworks is a publishing platform of diverse picture books and online curriculum with the mission to empower over a million kids to become social entrepreneurs. Our current series features interviews by our interplanetary journalist Spiffy with inspiring Social Entrepreneurs, Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Builders, and Changemakers who are advancing the UN SDGs.

Spiffy here with the scoop on the entrepreneurial leaders of Planet Earth. As the only interplanetary journalist stationed on this blue planet, I’m thrilled to present this galactic exclusive with Tiffany Yau, the founder and chief executive officer of Fulphil. Let’s learn what’s happening at Fulphil and how Tiffany is making a positive impact in the world.

Spiffy: Thanks for joining me, Tiffany! Tell me, what challenge are you addressing through Fulphil?

Tiffany: Thanks for having me, Spiffy! From surveying 680 high school students, I found that many care about making a positive social impact and want to start a business, but many don’t know how or have the confidence to do either. The difference in these numbers is more stark in lower-income communities where 62% of students lack access or can’t afford an entrepreneurship education at their schools. Fulphil creates equitable, inclusive, and fun social entrepreneurial curriculum to empower youth to make a positive impact in their careers.

Spiffy: What motivates you to do it?

Tiffany: I am someone who sees the world not as how it is, but as how it could be. I believe everyone has the potential to make a difference in the world, but many of us often don’t know how or where to start, which effectively causes us to feel overwhelmed and incapable of making any impact at all. Teaching social entrepreneurship can empower those who undertake it to see that they, the people closest to the problems, are closest to the solutions, and fully recognize the impact they are capable of making.

Spiffy: What is the impact of your work?

Tiffany: We work with high school and community college students, and prison systems (including one of the largest in the US). Our work led to 70% more invested in their communities, 84% more motivated to use their future careers to make a positive impact, 80% gained confidence in their ability to overcome obstacles, 80% gained confidence in their ability to make a tangible impact on the world, 86% gained confidence in their ability to start an impactful business, and 70% learned new skills to help them succeed in their future careers.

Spiffy: Tell me about a recent organization milestone or initiative. What impact does it make on your audience/community?

Tiffany: Fulphil first began working with youth but our vision has always been to empower everyone to make an impact. We are now publishing all of our classroom courses into trade books so that our content can be accessible to everyone both inside and outside of the classroom. We recently published our first book, Build With Impact, and it has been consistently ranked as Amazon’s best sellers in the green books genre. More details on the process of publishing this book can be found here. We have 5 more courses/books to be published soon.

Spiffy: Is there anything else you would love to tell our audience?

Tiffany: Firstly, the theme of empowering the people closest to the problems to become closest to the solutions has always been front-and-center. I designed a system for our course content to be made by students and teachers, for students and teachers. We’ve recruited students to work with us over their summers to write case studies for the curriculum while also offering invaluable feedback. We’ve created jobs for  over 120 students. Many will become published writers now that we’re launching our books. Secondly, we expanded our focus beyond social entrepreneurship to creating educational content to build compassion.

Spiffy: Thanks for speaking with me today, Tiffany—it’s been an honor!

Tiffany Yau is a social entrepreneur, best-selling author, TEDx speaker, and community-builder, who is passionate about empowering people with the needed resources and inspiration to make a positive impact on others, their community, and the world. (Nominated by Rowana Miller at Cosmic Writers. First published on the Ladderworks website on July 25, 2023.)

The views and opinions expressed herein are those of the interviewee and do not necessarily reflect those of Ladderworks LLC.

© 2023 Ladderworks LLC. Edited by Shikha Tandon. Spiffy’s illustration by Shreyas Navare. For the Ladderworks digital curriculum to help K-3 kids advance the UN SDGs, visit Spiffy's Launchpad: Creative Entrepreneurship Workshops for K-3 Kids and their caregivers here.