Entrepreneurship Everywhere
Sample Entrepreneurship Education
Programs in the United States
CALIFORNIA
Business United in Investing, Lending and Development (Build)
Rachel Friedman
Director of Education
Businesses United in Investing, Lending and Development (BUILD)
1600 Adams Drive
Menlo Park, CA 94025
650.688.5844
Fax: 650.688.5847
E-mail: Rachel@build.org
Web Page: www.build.org
Focus: Entrepreneurs 1 and Entrepreneurs 2
Geographic Area: California
Age Level: Our target population is high school students from under-resourced
communities such as East Palo Alto and East Menlo Park. We serve predominantly
African-Americans, Latinos, and Pacific Islanders. Many of our students are
second language learners and/or are academically low performing.
Abstract: The two courses provided are as follows:
- Entrepreneurs 1 ("E1") is a yearlong course for 9th and 10th graders.
E1 is designed to cultivate students' interest in business and entrepreneurship
while reinforcing academic competencies in mathematics, reading comprehension,
and writing. The program also helps students develop public speaking, team
building, and critical thinking skills. The course utilizes and augments
an established, award-winning business and entrepreneurship curriculum designed
by the National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE). The NFTE
curriculum teaches a variety of business skills including basic economics,
the art of negotiating and consensus-building, goal setting, and financial
management. BUILD adapts the NFTE curriculum by employing unique student/mentor
role-playing scenarios, case study analysis, and field trips that enliven
core business concepts. Upon completion of the curriculum, students organize
into small groups to select and research a business endeavor, and, with the
help of business mentors, develop a business plan. The year culminates in
the Business Plan Competition held before a panel of judges drawn from Silicon
Valley's academic, business, and investment communities.
- The BUILD Youth Business Incubator (E2) is an advanced clinical
course for students who excel in E1. With the help of mentors and Venture
Capital Advisors, the students begin executing their business plans with
seed funding of up to $2,500. The teams set goals, create operating calendars,
contact vendors, sell product and maintain financial records thus reinforcing
skills learned in E1 while taking on much more responsibility. The teams
meet at the BUILD offices with access to laptops on a wireless network, phones,
fax machines and copiers. Students also participate in class-wide field
trips, games and guest lecture sessions in addition to offsite meetings with
mentors and advisors.
Beverly Hills High School—Sports Marketing: A Career for the 21st
Century
Steve Rappaport, Coordinator
The Management Institute
Beverly Hills High School
241 Moreno Drive
Beverly Hills, CA 90212
310-201-0661
Fax: 310-286-7446
Focus: Senior high school
Abstract: Sports are a wonderful way to teach marketing to the
high school student. Find out
what it takes to create a sports marketing curriculum and introduce
your students to this exciting
career for the twenty-first century. Licensed products alone account for over
$60 billion in annual
revenue.
Steve Rappaport has found a way to effectively involve students in
sports licensing and
merchandising, endorsements, and event management and sponsorships.
See what it takes to
operate a sports-marketing school-based enterprise. Rappaport uses a
variety of instructional
activities that can add excitement to your classroom.
Steve has been employed at Beverly Hills High School since 1988 and
is an ROP instructor and
soccer coach. Working in conjunction with the Los Angeles County Regional
Occupational
Program, he has developed and implemented a successful sports marketing
curriculum. In addition,
Steve teaches hotel management, entrepreneurship, and a community internship
course, and
coordinates a Carl Perkins vocational grant.
California State Polytechnic University, Pomona,
Small Business Mentor Program
International Diversified Technologies
Lorenzo Tony Ortega, Ph.D., Director
Business Development Academy
California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
3801 West Temple Avenue
Pomona, CA 91768;
Jackirae Sagouspe, Partner
International Diversified Technologies
2201 East Winston Road, Suite K
Anaheim, CA 92806
714-635-1815
Email: jackidt@aol.com
Focus: The area of program emphasis is a university economic
development program in
partnership with community-based and private-sector organizations.
Abstract: The Small Business Mentor Program is an alliance with
university affiliations and
community-based and private-sector organizations. This combination of
contributing entities brings
about a rare blend of practical experience, institutional research,
and community economic
development, all focused on the revitalization of entrepreneurial businesses.
The target communities are low- and moderate-income, directly affected
by small businesses in or
immediately adjacent to them. Many of these businesses can be categorized
as "low risk" due to a
high level of compentency in a trade or service; however, they are "high
risk" often due to a lack of
business and financial management knowledge. These businesses often
fail to grow, and some
collapse. Business failures resulting from a lack of business and financial
skills contribute to
neighborhood economic blight, impeding community development.
A unique feature of the Small Business Mentor Program is that it provides
personal and consistent
guidance through mentors and integrated educational materials built
on the fundamentals of
small-business management. The content and structure of the program
use the theory of multiple
intelligences. This is not a "return" to the classroom program;
rather, the Small Business Mentor
Program is an "incubator without walls." Due to the one-on-one
working relationship with the
business owners, it is critical that the mentors, instructors, and service
providers are sensitive to the
fact that each individual learns differently; therefore, the multiple
intelligences approach has been
implemented.
The philosophy, as well as the organization, of the Small Business
Mentor Program becomes more
important when working in communities with a dominant ethnic population.
Presently the target
areas served by the Small Business Mentor Program have a substantial
number of Hispanic
business owners who qualify for the benefits of the program. Bilingual
mentoring is provided, and business educational materials are available in Spanish.
The program provides each participating small-business owner with a
financial management
advisor (Financial Management Mentor) who provides continuing intensive
guidance to the owner
with regard to financial management of the business. This guidance includes
business plan
preparation and revision; assistance with the selection of, and applications
for, public and private
programs available to help such owners; loan, permit, and other application
preparation; ongoing
cash flow analysis; and all other aspects of financial management.
The Small Business Mentor Program's goal is to create a partnership
with struggling small
businesses, community economic development agencies, and financial institutions.
A team
approach is taken to find solutions, make changes, and revitalize each
entrepreneurial venture for
future growth.
California State University, Fresno
Genelle Taylor
Lyles Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Scholarships in Entrepreneurship
California State University, Fresno
2743 E. Shaw Avenue, Suite 120
Fresno, CA 93710
559.294.2045
Email: genellet@csusfresno.edu
Web site: www.lylescenter.com
Focus: $10,000 scholarship for high school and community college students that have started a business or are interested in starting a business and attending California State University, Fresno.
Geographic Area: Recruiting nationally to attend CSU, Fresno
Age Level: High school and seniors and community college students
Key Partners: Lyles Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at California State University, Fresno and The Coleman Foundation.
Abstract: The Scholarships in Entrepreneurship program provides high school and community college students, who have an existing business and enroll at Fresno State, the opportunity to showcase their entrepreneurial spirit. Three students will receive $10,000 each for supporting their education and expanding their business while in school. Students enrolling in Spring 2005 and Fall 2006 are eligible.
Selected students can use the funds toward tuition, student housing and books. Incorporated into the scholarships, students will be provided with office space in the new Lyles Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship's "Hatchery," an area where students receive mentoring, access to resources, a complete office, and access to facilities at the Lyles Center such as a board room and classrooms. The deadline for spring 2006 were to be submitted by December 15, 2005. Applications for fall 2006 must be submitted by May 1, 2006.
Camp Enterprise—The Rotary Club of San Diego, CA
Executive Director
The Rotary Club of San Diego, CA
Email: ericsson@swedentrade.com
Abstract: Since 1976, the San Diego Rotary Club has sponsored
Camp Enterprise in an effort to
educate San Diego youths about the free-enterprise system and the world
of business. Students
learn from some of San Diego's top business leaders in a fun and educational
environment at
Camp Cedar Glen in Julian. Volunteer Rotarians and prominent San Diego
business leaders serve
as presenters, discussion group leaders, and team facilitators.
During the two to seven days of camp, the students work in teams to
develop a business plan
outline for the business they select. This year's industry topic is
"Business in Cyberspace," which
requires students to work together to create a business using the Internet,
or supplying those
companies that do business on the Internet. The participating students
come from over 20 different
schools in San Diego, both public and private.
Through panel discussions and presentations, Camp Enterprise teaches
the participants:
- An understanding of the free-enterprise system, management, and
labor;
- How to start, organize, and run their own business;
- How to use teamwork and creativity to prepare business and marketing
plans;
- How to accomplish a task, and how to prepare and deliver a presentation
within a given
time frame;
- Business ethics; and
- Maintaining charity and community involvement as a business person
and leader.
Global Education Partnership
Fostering Self-Reliant Youth and Communities
Teresa Tennant, Enterprise Director
Global Education Partnership
624 Ninth Street, NW - Suite 222,
Washington DC 20001
202-390-6824; Fax. 202-347-4471
Email: info@geponline.org
Web site: www.geponline.org
Focus: Youth entrepreneurship and employment skills training
program that encourages self-reliance and social responsibility.
Geographic Area: U.S., Kenya, Guatemala, Tanzania, and Indonesia
Age Level: 14 to 22 years old
Key Partners: Middle schools, high schools, and community-based
organizations
Abstract: From Vision to Action consists of 5 modules.
Modules 1, 2, and 5 focus on entrepreneurship and the skills needed
to develop a solid business from the ground up. Students plan and implement
one-day business projects and develop long-term business plans. Marketing,
sales, operations, social responsibility, and financial analysis are
some of the major topics covered. Modules 3 and 4 emphasize life competency
skills such as teamwork and interpersonal skills, as well as proactive
character traits that enable students to acquire and retain well-paying,
meaningful jobs. Conducting job searches, resumé writing, interviewing,
time management, and personal financial planning skills are included
in these modules as well.
"Global Connection" lessons on subjects ranging from world trade
to cross-cultural communication complete each chapter. Students gain
exposure to a variety of global marketplace issues from an international
point of view. "Real World Exchanges" are conducted via email with peers
from one of Global Education Partnership's (GEP) foreign divisions.
Program: This versatile program, which meets SCANS skills and
competencies objectives, is designed to suit multiple needs. It can
be used as the core curriculum in a business or career education program,
or as an elective course. It can also be used as a supplement to a math,
language arts, or social studies class. The hands-on experience in technology
skills such as using Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and conducting Internet
research, prepares students for success in today's business world. Customized
training and support, provided by experienced GEP staff, is available
as needed for successful program implementation. For the full table
of contents and additional information, please visit our Web site at:
www.geponline.org.
Juma Ventures
Executive Director
Juma Ventures
116 New Montgomery St, Suite 600
San Francisco, CA 94105
415-247-6580
Focus: Business experiences for youths
Abstract: Juma Ventures is a nonprofit organization in San Francisco
that owns and operates four
businesses that employ at-risk youths. In addition, they provide job
placement and follow-up
services to the youths. The four businesses are two Ben and Jerry's
ice cream shops, a concession
stand at Candlestick Park, and an ice cream shop on wheels. Their philosophy
is that they use business for social change.
Just Say YES Educational Technology Foundation
Jim Knight
Just Say Yes Educational Technology Foundation
129 Breezewalk Dr.
Vallejo, CA 94591
800-878-8194
Email: jim@justsayyes.org
Focus: High school and college students worldwide
Abstract: The "Just Say YES" Educational Technology
Foundation is located in the San
Francisco Bay Area. "YES" stands for "Young Entrepreneurial
Spirit." The mission is to identify,
equip, support, train, and empower "young", Internet-based
entrepreneurs. The foundation
provides young entrepreneurs with carefully selected inexpensive and
free, but powerful, tools to market
their skills to the world through the Internet. Through the new Virtual
University, the foundation offers
training on how to become a "successful Internet entrepreneur."
To promote entrepreneurism, "Virtual Designer" Web sites are given to students who know HTML and Web design.
Our vision is to provide individual "Virtual Designer" Web
sites from the foundation and a videoconferencing camera from Intel to students with existing Web design skills, who after submitting
their work (URLs) qualify for a free Web site. All of our "Virtual
Designers" will be connected
together through our own Private Video Conferencing Directory through
a strategic alliance with
VDOnet. Through this connection they will be able to network and collaborate
together worldwide
and begin to build their own virtual Internet business ventures and
virtual design firms.
Our objective is to identify the best and brightest young Internet
entrepreneurs from around the
world. Local Bay Area entrepreneurs will be selected to appear as guests
on our
soon-to-be-produced Bay Area weekly television show, Young Successful
Internet
Entrepreneurs. Young Internet entrepreneurs from around the world will
also be interviewed
using our videoconferencing hardware and software from Intel.
Our goal is to identify the most successful Internet-based entrepreneurs
worldwide. By modeling
success and providing the best tools and resources for doing business
on the Internet, our
foundation will lead the way in helping a new generation of young, highly
successful Internet-based
entrepreneurs establish and market the most successful business Web
sites on the Internet.
The "Just Say YES Foundation," located in the San Francisco
Bay Area, is launching a talent
search for young Internet entrepreneurs at high schools and universities
across the nation.
The foundation is looking for young successful Internet entrepreneurs
who have established their
own business Web site on the Internet (equipped with online commerce)
and who are successfully
turning a profit. The foundation wants to feature these students' Web
sites and show other students
with a young entrepreneurial spirit how to launch a successful business
on the Internet. Send your
success story and business URL to jim@justsayyes.org
The foundation is also giving away free "Virtual Designer"
Web sites for two Stanford University
students to market themselves as "Virtual Website Designers"
through the foundation. The Web
sites have their own link to Internic's domain name search and a very inexpensive
Web hosting service through the foundation.
High school and university students can also learn how to become highly
successful young Internet
entrepreneurs through the foundation's Web site courses. Online courses
are offered through the
foundation's link to Virtual University for Small and Medium-Sized Businesses.
Students who aspire to becoming young Internet entrepreneurs and want
to learn HTML can also
take online courses through Project Cool. This is one of the best free
places on the Internet to
leam the basics of HTML and Web design.
To qualify to become a "designer" (independent contractor)
through the foundation, students need
to be proficient in HTML and Web editing software/tools. The Foundations
Web Design Team
will screen potential candidates to determine if a student qualifies
for a free Web site. If you are a
high school or university student and would like to become a "Virtual
Designer" through the
foundation, send some of your Web design work (URLs) to the above address.
Oakland High School, Visual Arts Academy
Jackie Begrin, Small Business Ownership and Management Instructor
Visual Arts Academy
Oakland High School
1023 Macarthur Blvd.
Oakland, CA 94610
510-879-1890 (work)
510-222-1833 (home)
Focus: Senior high school, grades 11–12
Abstract: ACORA (A Coalition of Raw Artists) is a student-run
enterprise owned and operated by the students of the Visual
Arts Academy in Oakland, California. This successful and profitable
business is in its third year of operation. ACORA has 3 divisions: a print
shop, a greeting-card line, and a jewelry line. Students running the business
are in their junior and senior years of high school.
This workshop is designed to assist participants in implementing product
lines in their enterprise. ACORA has grown from a single line to three
product lines since its beginning. Topics addressed include:
- Product development
- Test marketing
- Marketing your product
Jackie Begrin has been teaching in the Oakland Public schools for 21
years. In 1990 she co-founded the Visual Arts Academy Magnet Program.
For the past five years, this program has received funding from the California
Department of Education. This is an exemplary program for Oakland Public
schools. For the past two years she has worked as the project-based
learning coach at her high school and has trained many teachers in starting
student-run enterprises in the six comprehensive high schools in Oakland.
University of California Berkeley—East Bay Outreach Project
Director
East Bay Outreach Project
Haas School of Business
University of California Berkeley
Berkeley, CA
510-643-0923
Email: ebop@haas.berkeley.edu
Focus: Youth entrepreneurship
Geographic Area: East Bay, California
Products and Services: Youth programs
Age Level: 15–18
Key Partners: East Bay high schools, Haas School of Business,
East Bay local businesses
Abstract: The East Bay Outreach Project at the Haas School of
Business offers a youth
entrepreneurship program called Young Entrepreneurs at Haas (YEAH) that
trains high school
youths in entrepreneurship during an intensive two-week summer workshop,
followed by
year-round educational and business planning workshops and field trips.
The YEAH alumni
organization offers year-round activities for those who wish to continue
their business planning and
pursue college options.
The YEAH program reaches out to educationally disadvantaged youths from
over 15 local high
schools and youth programs in Richmond, Berkeley, Oakland, and Emeryville.
Each student is
matched to an MBA student volunteer who acts as a role model and provides
business planning
guidance. In early spring, high school students present their business
concepts to a community
venture capital board and compete for up to $500 in start-up funds.
University of California, Riverside
Center for Entrepreneurial Management
Volunteers of America—Midas Touch Program
Executive Director
Midas Touch Program
Volunteers of America
3600 Wilshire Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90010
213-389-1500
Focus: High school students
Abstract: The Midas Touch is a national VOA program, designed
to give high school students
from economically disadvantaged backgrounds an understanding of the
American legacy of
entrepreneurship in a free economy.
The program is open to high school sophomores and juniors. They attend
a three-day, two-night
seminar. During the seminar they hear from entrepreneurs and local business
leaders and work in
small groups to create a business plan.
A panel of entrepreneurs judges these plans and awards prizes. At the
conclusion of the seminar,
each participant receives a Midas Touch Enterprise.
Young Entrepreneurs Society (Y.E.S.!)
Sharon Cook, Ph.D., Director
Young Entrepreneurs Society
14075 Bronte Drive
Whittier, CA 90602
562-698-0701
Fax: 562-698-6963
Email: goyesgo@hotmail.com
Web site: www.goyesgo.com
Abstract: The purpose of Y.E.S.! is fivefold: (1) encourage
innovative thinking, (2) cultivate
leadership skills, (3) stimulate creativity, (4) provide information
about the business world, and (5)
promote the application of entrepreneurial abilities, science, math,
and language skills by helping
youth organize their own small-business ventures.
Y.E.S.!, a for-profit organization based in Whittier, California, was
started in 1996. Members
launched their first business venture, a play entitled Knights in Shining
Armor, in 1997. In 1999
they wrote and published a book entitled Millennium Mischief. It is
illustrated by Raul R.
Rodriguez, premier float designer for the Rose Parade. This book will
be available at the Norton
Simon Museum of Art, the Getty Museum of Art, and Vroman's, the leading
bookstore in southern
California, located in Pasedena. You may also purchase it at the Y.E.S.!
Web site. It is the story
of how a misadventure in the future almost changed the Millennium Rose
Parade.
Sharon Cook, Ph.D., founder and director, provides instruction throughout
the year and works
closely with parents and volunteers who assist in program development.
Sharon holds a doctorate
in organizational psychology from Claremont Graduate University, Claremont,
California.
Members meet twice a month during the school year for business lessons
and twice a week during
the summer to launch their annual commercial enterprise. By starting
their own business, Y.E.S.!
members acquire skills that benefit all areas of their lives: setting
goals, communicating effectively,
budgeting time and money, selling their ideas, and evaluating their
efforts. Our main focus is
building self-confidence. Y.E.S.! members learn that success in business,
as in life, grows out of
strong self-esteem, the foundation of which is unshakable belief in
themselves and their abilities.
Through responsibility they learn the reciprocal nature of respect for
self and others. To the extent
that Y.E.S.! empowers children with the knowledge, skills, and strength
described above, the
organization fulfills its mission today and proudly helps in shaping
leaders of tomorrow.
Membership applications are accepted on a space-available basis from
all qualified youths between
the ages of 7 and 15.
COLORADO
Colorado Small Business Development Center
Jayne Reiter, Director
Small Business Development Center
1726 Cole Blvd. # 31o
Golden, CO 80401
303-277-1840
Fax: 303-277-1899
Email: sbdcrrcc@rmi.net
Focus: Vocational, community college, welfare-to-work, low- to
moderate-income, four-year
college, community based, nonprofit.
Abstract: There are three steps that can be classified as the
business start-up experience: The
phase prior to deciding to go into business; the period of defining
the business concept; and
refining the concept.
- Prior to decision—Are you an entrepreneur? (3-hour seminar)
- Defining the concept—Do you have a good idea? Is it doable?
(2 seminars of 3 hours
each)
- Refining the concept—Research the market (6 seminars of 3 hours);
Identify
competitive-edge testing for financial success
This program will help the learner successfully plan, start, and operate
a business. Each step
insures a framework for decision making to keep the business concept
evolving.
Jayne Reiter is a small-business specialist with over 18 years of experience
in sales and marketing.
In her career she has owned and operated her own retail and sales business.
She has a B.S. in
business administration and an M.E. in adult education. In her role
as a business counselor, she
guides Small Business Development Center clients through start-up issues,
marketing, alternative
financing, and business plan development.
Start-Up Education
Ellen Cooney
Start-Up Education
P.O. Box 7072
Pueblo West, CO 81007
719-547-4798
Email: ekcooney@way.opens.org
Focus: Youth entrepreneurship, teacher training
Geographic Area: Colorado, Internet/distance learning
Products and Services: Youth training programs, Own the Place!
curriculum, teacher training
seminars, correspondence course for teachers (3 graduate credits), Career
Connections
newsletter for Pueblo teachers, monthly column on school-based enterprises
in the national
publication School-to-Work News
Age Level: 10 to 21
Key Partners: Small Business Development Center and SEEDS Program
for the development of
a technology-based youth business incubator in Pueblo, Colorado.
Abstract: Start-Up Education is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization
with a mission to help students
and teachers make the link between school and career skills.
Based on 6 years of teaching entrepreneurship in schools, summer camps,
and community
organizations, Start-Up Education has developed a curriculum for teaching
middle and high school
students career skills through the experience of entrepreneurship. That
curriculum is sold directly
and through Amazon.com and is also the basis for teacher training courses,
either in seminars or
through a 3-credit graduate course.
Start-Up Education also publishes a monthly column on school-based
enterprises in
School-to-Work News and a monthly Career Connections newsletter for the 1,200 school teachers in Pueblo, Colorado's School District 60.
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