[CircleUp] NEW REPORT OVERVIEW- YOUTH ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN AMERICA

[Stewart Sarkozy]

New Report Overview

 

YOUTH ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN AMERICA- 

A POLICYMAKERS ACTION GUIDE

 

 

The world economy is changing rapidly, and this brings enormous
challenges and opportunities for educating America's youth. With the
right portfolio of skills, especially in science and math, as well as
the development of creativity, young Americans can become the world's
next generation of enterprising and innovative business people.  But we
have not yet created an educational environment that fully develops
these critical skills in young people.  As a result, America's
youth--especially the growing numbers of high school dropouts--lose the
opportunity to enjoy successful and rewarding careers, and our nation
loses the opportunity to lead in an increasingly competitive world.

We can change this course.  Lacking in our youth is an entrepreneurial
mindset - a critical mix of success-oriented attitudes of initiative,
intelligent risk-taking, collaboration, and opportunity recognition
skills. With the pace of innovation, many of the jobs our children will
hold don't even exist yet. Not only will the traditional skills of
reading, writing, and math be needed to thrive in this economy, but also
technological savvy and self-direction. More than ever, we need to
educate students to be dynamic, lifelong learners.

We believe that expanding the availability of youth entrepreneurship
education resources should be a critical part of this solution. Through
the process of starting their own ventures, young minds are engaged,
talent is explored, and youth, particularly at risk youth, become
empowered.

 

Engage young minds in entrepreneurship: Every 29 seconds, another
student drops out of school. Research shows that the dominate cause for
student drop out is a failure to interest students in the curriculum.
Entrepreneurship programs have a proven track record of keeping children
in school.

Explore young talent and creativity. The goal of the Aspen Youth
Entrepreneurship Strategy Group is to ensure that each graduate from a
high school that serves in a low-income community has educational
opportunities to explore his or her entrepreneurial potential.
(www.aspeninstitute.org/yesg) 

Empower youth to take ownership in their communities and their lives.
More than ever, we need to educate students that they should --and can
be-- continual learners in dynamic environments. Entrepreneurship
education not only teaches students about the world, but teaches
students about themselves. This is empowerment at its most basic
level......So what can you do?

 

I'm a local policy maker:

 

*          Introduce entrepreneurship training in all schools, with
special emphasis on those with large populations of low-income youth.

*          Increase funding to support teacher training, curriculum and
professional development, and to evaluate program design and outcomes.

*          Develop strong partnerships between schools, businesses, and
other community organizations

 

I'm a state-level policy maker:

 

*          Adopt statewide standards for youth Entrepreneurship
Education.

*          Create formal Entrepreneurship Education partnerships between
primary and secondary schools, community colleges, and four-year
institutions.

*          Create a State Advocate or State Advisory Council for
Entrepreneurship Education 

 

I'm a federal level policy maker:

 

*          Revise existing education statutes, such as the No Child Left
Behind Act, and the Higher Education Act, and Workforce Investment Act
to include entrepreneurship skills as a desired competency in
educational standards.

*           Consider adding Entrepreneurial Literacy to the President's
Council on Financial Literacy.

*          Expand funding for youth entrepreneurship in key programs
operated by the Department of Labor, the Small Business Administration,
and other appropriate agencies.

*          Create a federal Office of Entrepreneurship Education and
provide it with resources to share best practices in the field and also
serve as a nationwide advocate for youth entrepreneurship.

 

I'm a business leader:

 

*          Be a role model and speak to aspiring youth entrepreneurs in
your community.

*          Partner with local youth entrepreneurship programs with
proven track records.  Help them scale in order to play a part in the
youth entrepreneurship education process.

*          Donate your time and advice to schools in your community so
young people have a clear vision of the success that stems from
perseverance and an entrepreneurial mindset.

 

While this objective sounds simple, achieving it will require extensive
cooperation at all levels of government and key involvement from the
private sector. Our recommendations for policymakers will be outlined in
the full report that launches November 18th during Global
Entrepreneurship Week and will be available at 
www.aspeninstitute.org/yesg.

 

IF YOU WOULD LIKE A PDF OF THE REPORT on 11-19,  CONTACT US:
Julie.kantor at nfte.com or Gloria.sandiford at nfte.com  (202) 215-6383 or
(212) 232-3333 x 331.

 

 

 

  

 

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