An After School Program for Young Entrepreneurs
Got a dream, idea or talent? Kickstart your future self with a brand new after-school program designed to equip youth with the skills, confidence and connections you need to be your own boss! You’ll have an opportunity to develop your own talent portfolio, compete for scholarships and prizes, and uncover the career potential in your own backyard!
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Lead
Every young person has the potential to lead, so let’s start by uncovering your personal leadership style! You’ll learn to appreciate the differences and how they contribute to building a strong team. We’ll work together to build a small summer business then apply those skills to supporting a social venture in during the school year! This experience will not only help you to learn about yourself and your community but to communicate more effectively, manage conflicts, set goals and make decisions throughout your entire life!
Venture
Want to change the world? Unleash your entrepreneurial mindset to solve our own community’s challenges by developing and supporting social ventures in Lawrence County! Social Ventures are businesses that put the interests of the people and the planet ahead of individual gain by reinvesting the bulk of the profits back into a charitable cause. You will use the design thinking process to develop a possible solution, test your idea against the market, create a sustainable business model to ensure long term success, then actually pitch your idea to a Lawrence County non-profit!
Pitch
Think you’ve come up with the next best thing? Many people have creative business ideas, but you need know how to pitch them to get the funding needed to take them to market! A good pitch begins with a story followed by your idea and a call to action, but they are supported by a solid business plan that demonstrates sustainability through potential profits. We’ll walk you through the steps of putting together a plan with easy exercises. Then you can pitch your idea to our own ‘Shark Tank’ of experts to compete for a $1000 prize!
Details & Requirements
- Kickstart is open to incoming 10th and 11th grade students attending Lawrence County Career & Technical Center in the 2022-23 school year.
- There are no required costs but there is a required commitment to fully participate in the program throughout the year.
- Application is required online at www.hoytartcenter.org/kickstart by May 1, 2022.
- Application does not guarantee admission. Participation is limited to 20 students.
- You must be able to provide your own transportation to and from the program.
- Absolutely no experience is required! Students in any trade program may apply.
Admission Includes
A free subscription to Tallo
Everyone has a skill, interest, or ability that someone else is looking for. What’s missing is the connection. Tallo is an online platform that gives the next generation of talent the ability to overcome traditional boundaries and connect with opportunities anytime, anywhere. You can showcase your interests, experiences, accomplishments and goals to connect with meaningful educational and career-related opportunities.
Introductory Summer Program: Lemonade Day
Lemonade Day is a fun, experiential program that will teach you how to work as a team to start, own and operate your own concession stand. You’ll craft your own recipe, develop a pitch, create marketing materials, and design and build your own stand!
Field trips throughout the 2022-23 school year
- October 20 – Container Solutions Inc. & Velocity Magnetics
- November 18 – LCCAP Hydroponics
- December 16 – Hoyt, Historical Society and other cultural locations in Lawrence County
Leadership Training with Local Leaders
- September 19 – Understanding Leadership and Communicating Effectively (Guest mentor Patty Kardambikis)
- September 26 – Appreciating Differences (Guest mentors Lyndsy Overby and Melanie DeVincentis)
- October 3 – Managing Conflict (Guest mentor Michelle Swogger)
- October 17 – Building Teams (Guest mentors Scott Stone and David Ward)
- October 24 – Exercising Community Leadership (Guest mentors Kim Koller-Jones and Andrew Henley)
- November 7 – Setting Goals & Making Decisions (Guest mentor Aaron Elliott and Paul Bucciarelli)
- November 14 – Mapping Your Community (Guest mentor Anthony DeRosa and Angie Urban)
Opportunities to compete for scholarships, win prizes and earn a little extra cash!
Through Tallo, Lemonade Days, Pitch Challenges and more!
Kickstart is funded by the PA Innovative Entrepreneurial Youth Hub program administered by PSAYDN.
