The Young Entrepreneurs Academy (YEA!) is an innovative program that transforms local middle and high school students into real entrepreneurial successes. YEA! is excited to announce that its local program will be hosted at Salisbury University in the fall of 2015.
YEA! is a cutting-edge program that takes students between the ages of 11 and 18 through the process of starting and launching a real business or social movement over the course of an academic year . By the end of the class, students own and operate fully-formed and functioning businesses, which may be carried on after their graduation from the program. YEA! aims to teach students at an early age how to make a job, not just take a job. It is the ONLY pre-college program developed by an entrepreneur, at a university, with support from a major entrepreneurial foundation, the Kauffman Foundation and the United States Chamber of Commerce.
“We greatly appreciate what YEA! will bring to the students in our community, the leaders of our future. The program will not only provide classes and practical work experience with professionals, but it will also teach participants how to live and breathe as a real entrepreneur,” said Ernie Colburn, Salisbury Area Chamber of Commerce President & CEO. “Our local business leaders, who were one time standing in their shoes, are able to offer students relatable insights from their own paths to success!”
While in the Academy, students will brainstorm and form their enterprises, make pitches to real investors, obtain funding, file their DBAs, and by the end, actually launch their own business or social movement! Business mentors, graphic designers, and local entrepreneurs will support the students throughout the process and engage them in a real, professional environment.
“We are delighted to be the next school district in the nation to adopt the Young Entrepreneurs Academy,” said Dr. John Fredericksen, Superintendent of Wicomico County Public Schools. “This program will enhance business education for our students, and provide a unique, challenging, and fulfilling experience for all participants while helping build our community.”
The YEA! program will be hosted in the BEACON suite at Salisbury University in the Franklin P. Perdue School of Business beginning in November.
“We are proud to be able to host The Young Entrepreneurs Academy at Salisbury University,” said Dr. Christy Weer, Dean of the Franklin P. Perdue School of Business. “This program will positively influence students in our local community and will provide them with an innovative and challenging experience.”
The Chamber is now accepting applications for the fall class. Classes will be held at Salisbury University on Tuesdays from 4-7pm and are open to students from 6th-12th grade. Please visit www.salisburyarea.com/youngentrepreneursacademy for more information.
The Young Entrepreneurs Academy (YEA!)
The Young Entrepreneurs Academy (YEA!) is a groundbreaking and exciting year long class that transforms middle and high school students into real, confident entrepreneurs. Throughout the class, students develop business ideas, write business plans, conduct market research, pitch their plans to a panel of investors, and actually launch and run their own real, legal, fully formed companies and social movements. Founded in 2004 at the University of Rochester with support from the Kauffman Foundation, the Young Entrepreneurs Academy today serves thousands of students in communities across America. For more information about the Young Entrepreneurs Academy, please call 585.272.3535 or visit www.yeausa.org
U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation (USCCF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit affiliate of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce dedicated to strengthening America’s long-term competitiveness by addressing developments that affect our nation, our economy, and the global business environment.
The U.S. Chamber Foundation and Campaign for Free Enterprise are national sponsors and partners of YEA!, helping to promote the spirit of enterprise among today’s youth and tomorrow’s future leaders.
The Young Entrepreneurs Academy (YEA!) & U.S. Chamber of Commerce Partnership
In 2011, the United States Chamber of Commerce and Campaign for Free Enterprise became a national sponsor and partner of the Young Entrepreneurs Academy to help promote the spirit of enterprise among today’s youth and tomorrow’s future leaders. Through coordination with its network of local chambers of commerce, the U.S. Chamber has helped communities across the country adopt the YEA! program. Together, the Young Entrepreneurs Academy and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce are celebrating the power and promise of young people in business and encouraging the next greatest generation to make a job, not just take a job.
