An After School Program for Young Entrepreneurs
Think you want to be your own boss? Have an interest or talent that could become a creative career?
KickstART is a free, two-part entrepreneurial program designed to provide high school teens with the basic skills and experience to explore developing a business of your own some day! You can start from scratch in part one to develop a product for the marketplace, or learn to pitch an idea for funding in part two with an opportunity to compete for a $1000 prize!
Each nine week session meets on Mondays, 3-5 pm, in the Commercial Arts studio at the Lawrence County Career and Technical Center and includes real world advice from working professionals
Make it Stick: Developing a Vendor Stand
(October 16-December 11, 2023)
Students will learn the basics of developing a business from scratch as a team by collaboratively designing, budgeting, testing and producing stickers for a community vending stand that will pop-up at various locations throughout the holidays. Net proceeds from each event will be distributed among participants.
Pitch Perfect: Developing an Idea into a Fundable Business Plan
(January 22 – March 18, 2024)
Students will learn how to turn a great idea into a great business plan to seek financial backing from both investors and consumers. Includes an opportunity to pitch your plan to a panel of industry leaders in competition for a $1000 prize to seed your idea or further your education.
Looking Back at 2022-2023
Crosswalk Project
The crosswalk artwork concept was developed, researched, and installed by KickstART students (with painting help from LCCTC Commercial Arts Students). Students were tasked with developing a social entrepreneurship business, leading to the crosswalk project and accompanying merchandise (available soon!).
The crosswalk was designed to meet the needs of the community – including beautification and increased safety for pedestrians. Although the intersection of Highland and East Lincoln was not the students’ initial choice for installation (the original road was a state owned road with restrictions on crosswalk designs), they decided to keep the musical design and move it near the Scottish Rite Cathedral, another cultural fixture of Lawrence County.
Inspired by their creation, Arts & Education at the Hoyt plans to partner with the City of New Castle and other organizations to continue to bring an artistic flare to the crosswalks around the city.
In the News
CA’s Night of Success with the KickstART Program (LCCTC)
KickstART students create musical crosswalk near cathedral (New Castle News)
Get Merch
Kickstart is funded by the PA Innovative Entrepreneurial Youth Hub program administered by PSAYDN.
