Youth Entrepreneurship Manual Implementing Entrepreneurship into Lincoln County, Oregon High Schools Compiled by: Amanda Remington Justin Overdevest Table of Contents Section Page Letter of Introduction 1 Table of Contents 2 Overview 3 PART ONE Section I. Background and History Section II. Establishing New Programs Establishing New Programs Overview Youth Entrepreneurship Survey 5 Ways to Get Students to Complete the Youth Survey Timeline of Events Section III. Career Related Learning Requirements Diploma and CAM requirements Overview Diploma and CAM requirements from ODE Section IV. NFTE Requirements Section V. Instructor NFTE Certification Section VI. Student Recruitment Student Recruitment Overview Sample Poster Section VII. Application Process Student Application Overview Sample Application for Students Section VIII. Classroom Volunteers Section IX. Presentations and Competitions PowerPoint Presentations by Students Overview Presentations by Students Year One Presentations by Student Year Two Sample Presentation Agenda Sample Presentation Assignment Business Plan Competition Section X. Lessons Learned Section XII. Summary Acronyms 4 8 14 20 24 26 29 35 41 50 52 55 Overview PROGRAM INTENT • Teach students how to write a business plan, determine if their business idea is feasible, and provide them with the skills necessary to successfully start their own business. • Offer experiential learning opportunities to help students connect classroom lessons with real life experiences. PROGRAM STRUCTURE This program is designed for high school students and is composed of two pieces: 1. A high school youth entrepreneurship class. The class works best if it is taught over the course of one full year. We have had the best success when the course has been taught as an in-school class for 5 days a week during one regular period per day. Successful after-school models, though, do exist, and elements of NFTE can be incorporated into an existing business or life-skills class. 2. A school based enterprise (SBE). The SBE can be developed by students in the entrepreneurship class. Part two of this guide will help you learn more about how to create a successful school based enterprise. CURRICULUM We use the National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) curriculum for high school youth entrepreneurship classes. The introductory NFTE class is a full year course that teaches the “basic” portion of starting a small business. The NFTE Mission: NFTE teaches entrepreneurship to young people from lowincome communities to enhance their economic productivity by improving their business, academic, and life skills. MATERIALS Materials used for the class include: • “How to Start and Operate a Small Business” Textbooks, to be re-used each school year. • “How to Start and Operate a Small Business” Workbook for each enrolled student, to be replaced each school year. • “Entrepreneurs in Profile” books, to be re-used each school year • Instructor’s Manual for each NFTE certified instructor. For the 2006-2008 school years, the Oregon Coast Community College Small Business Development Center can provide all materials free to Lincoln County schools through funds from the W.K. Kellogg foundation. If you are interested, please complete the “Request for Proposals” included in this guide. If you are unsuccessful with your proposal or have a program outside of Lincoln County, materials may be purchased directly from NFTE through their website at http://www.nfte.com/. Discounts are provided to certified NFTE instructors. 3 BACKGROUND and HISTORY 4 Background and History The creation of a youth entrepreneurship class for high school students in Lincoln County was a long time in the making. A number of organizations reviewed the potential for youth entrepreneurship at all grade levels and analyzed the potential for starting programs. An advisory group of the Oregon Coast Community College Small Business Development Center (OCCC SBDC) decided to move forward with a high school program, teaching business basics through NFTE by partnering with Waldport High School. Instructor and Volunteers The OCCC SBDC contracted with a part time substitute teacher, Jayne Stallons, to teach the first NFTE course. Over the 2004 winter break, Jayne attended a three-day NFTE training to become certified to teach the course. Following her return, she held a workshop for community members, the Waldport Rural Community School director, and OCCC SBDC staff to become familiar with the structure of NFTE. These attendees were all expected to volunteer in the classroom for a specified number of hours, teaching the sections they were most familiar with. Additionally, an AmeriCorps and AmeriCorps*VISTA member were both available to assist with the initial NFTE class. Materials and Space NFTE materials, including books, workbooks, supporting materials, and teacher manuals, were purchased by the OCCC SBDC. Space in the Waldport Rural Community School (RCSP) building was donated for the first class. Student recruitment Prior to the start of the first NFTE class, Jayne began recruiting students. She hung posters on the walls, made a presentation to each class at the high school, and spent a few lunch periods tracking down students in the hallway that she thought might benefit from the class. All interested students were given applications that were collected within two to three weeks of this initial contact. A group of adults, including Jayne, the SBDC director, and the RCSP director then gathered to review applications and interview all applicants. Ten-minute interviews were conducted with each applicant. Scheduling Following the interviews, Jayne chose a class period based upon where the greatest number of applicants had openings in their schedules. 7th period allowed fifteen of the applicants to attend and was thus settled on for the spring term. While it would have been ideal to have set the class period prior to interviewing students, we did not get the class listed in the high school schedule in time. Once the class period was established, students were scheduled by the Waldport High School office to join the class, and notified of the changes to their schedules. First NFTE class In the fall of 2005, the first NFTE class began at Waldport High School. While the class started with fifteen students, three would eventually drop the course, leaving a total of twelve. Throughout the course of the semester, this group of twelve students learned the skills necessary to start and maintain a small business. Students in the class were required to either 5 complete a business plan for their own business idea or start a school based enterprise, the WHS Kayak Shack. Half of the students worked on the school based enterprise, which was launched during the summer of 2005 (additional school based enterprise history can be found in section two of this manual). Half of the students wrote their own business plans for sole proprietorships or partnerships. These plans included: a skateboard manufacturing company called Dehumanization, Polisticks: your worst political nightmare t-shirt design, Caitlin’s PJ’s and more, Eckman Paddleboats, and JD’s Detailing. All business plans were presented in PowerPoint at the conclusion of the class to local community members, SBDC staff, classmates, and the instructor. Although the business plans showed a good deal of work by the students, they were simply the framework for a business plan and required additional time and attention to determine feasibility. BizTech The Waldport Chamber of Commerce, with support from the Economic Development Alliance of Lincoln County, utilized BizTech software, an online version of NFTE, to conduct an afterschool entrepreneurship course for youth and adults. Instruction was delivered by two local volunteers. The Chamber encountered a number of technical problems with the BizTech software during the course of the year and chose not to continue offering the service. They do not recommend BizTech for use in the classroom. BizTech is currently in the process of revising defects encountered and the new version may prove to be useful in the future. Second NFTE Class Following the conclusion of the first NFTE class, the part-time instructor left the district. A new instructor, Jan Weeks, stepped in to continue the class. Jan is a full time teacher at Waldport High School. Funding for the NFTE position became the responsibility of Waldport High School in the second year. Significant changes were made in year two in response to the lessons learned in year one. The class grew to a full year, rather than a one semester course, and was staffed by a full time, rather than part time, instructor. Scheduling in the Second Year Registration for the class was problematic, leading to a struggle to locate students at the last minute when classes resumed in the fall. Miscommunication regarding whether the class had been entered into the schedule caused the class to be passed over. In addition, the new instructor had not yet attended NFTE training and thus did not realize the importance of the recruitment process prior to the listing of the course in the school schedule. The problem was made acutely aware to us when, returning to school after the summer, the instructor realized that no students were registered for the class. Due to the short time frame as a result of lastminute recruiting, the students did not go through the crucial interview process. Also, the class was mixed between those who were interested in starting a business and those who were not, making the first semester very difficult. In this first semester the students worked on a Smoothie Business, selling smoothies at lunch times and during athletic events. The majority of these students dropped out of the class and/or school by the end of the semester. Spring Term Recruitment had to be undertaken in the spring as a result of the difficulties faced in keeping committed students in the class during the fall term. As of the time this youth manual was written, this class was ongoing. The instructor was experiencing greater success with her new 6 students. In the first month all of the new students had already created a rough PowerPoint describing their business plan for the Smoothie Business, Irish Island Fruit Smoothies. Current Efforts Currently, we are building the infrastructure to begin expanding our youth program to additional high schools for the 2007-2008 school year. If you are interested in any information about ongoing activities, please contact the Oregon Coast Community College Small Business Development Center at 541-994-4166. Learn from our experiences! If you are trying to teach the NFTE basics and create a school based enterprise, your class will need to last a full year. One semester does not allow enough time for students to grasp the business concepts fully. 7 ESTABLISHING NEW PROGRAMS 8 Establishing New Programs If you do not already have a youth entrepreneurship program, there are a couple of steps that may be useful in establishing a program. Conduct a survey of students Before starting a youth entrepreneurship class is may be helpful to conduct a survey of students. Why conduct a survey? • The survey will help you determine the degree of interest students have in participating in this type of class. • It will help you to understand the students’ views on starting their own businesses and clarify what they would need from a class. • It can provide useful data to influence those who are not certain a youth entrepreneurship class is needed. In order to assist you in conducting a survey of youth, a sample survey is attached. A list of tips for distributing the surveys and getting students to complete them is also attached. Approach the school/ school district After completing a survey, it may be necessary to convince school administration to get on board with the plan. A couple of tools that will help you gain approval from administration include: • Results of your youth entrepreneurship survey of students. • Information about Career Related Learning Requirements. For more information see the Career Related Learning Requirements section on pages 16 through 20. • Statistics about the impact of NFTE youth entrepreneurship classes. Information can be found on the NFTE website at http://www.nfte.com/impact/. • Funding resources. For Lincoln County schools, funds are available for the 2006-08 school years. Funds are awarded based upon the merit of applications. A “Request for Proposal” for these funds is located at the back of this manual. Locate an Instructor If you are not going to be the primary instructor, it will be necessary to locate and train an instructor to teach the NFTE course. Information about training through NFTE University can be found in the instructor certification on page 26. Find Adult Support An committee of key adult volunteers and community members can help advise a new instructor and help with the development of a program. Learn from our experiences! Instructors with experience in business, especially those who have operated their own business, will be able to relate to the material more easily than those without business experience. 9 YOUTH ENTREPRENEURSHIP SURVEY [organization name] is administering this survey as part of an effort to learn about high school students’ views regarding starting a business. This information will be used to help us determine how we can best assist high school students that would like to start their own business. We would appreciate about 10 minutes of your time to complete this survey. 1. Age: _______________________ 2. Gender: Male ________ Female __________ 3. How easy do you think it is to start your own business? Very easy [ ] Easy [ ] Challenging [ ] Almost Impossible [ ] 4. Would you like to start your own business someday? Yes [ ] No [ ] Not possible considering my career choice [ ] 5. If yes, what kind of business would you like to start? 6. Would a college education help you succeed in starting and growing your own business? Yes [ ] No [ ] Not sure [ ] 7. Why do you think people start their own business? Independence [ ] Have an idea and want to see it in action [ ] To make money [ ] Laid off from a company/unemployed [ ] Other, please specify: __________________________________ 8. What do you think is the most likely explanation for people who do NOT want to start a business? Other interests [ ] Not enough money to get a business started [ ] Too much work [ ] Fear of failure [ ] Government obstacles [ ] Other, please specify: __________________________________ 9. What do you believe is the best resource to learn how to start a business? Government sources or non profit organizations [ ] Internet [ ] Friend or family member [ ] Books or magazines [ ] Classroom [ ] Other, please specify: ___________________________________ 10 10. Of all the possible ingredients for business success, which one is the most important? Hard work and determination [ ] Good employees [ ] Connections (knowing the right people) [ ] Good product or service [ ] Capital (money) [ ] Good location for the business [ ] Customers [ ] Other, please specify: ________________________________ 11. Do you think there is more job security owning your own business or working for a company? Owning your own business [ ] Working for a company [ ] About the same for both [ ] 12. Would you be interested in taking a class to develop the skills to run your own business? Yes [ ] No [ ] Maybe [ ] 13. Would you be interested in participating in an after school activity to develop the skills to run your own business? Yes [ ] No [ ] Maybe [ ] Thank you for completing our survey! If you would like more information about starting your own business, please leave your contact information below or contact [organization name and telephone number]. 11 5 Ways to Get Students to Complete the “Youth Entrepreneurship Survey” 1. Offer an incentive for students to complete the survey. For example, each student completing a survey could be entered into a drawing for a small prize such as a $5 gift certificate to a local restaurant. 2. Set up a table before classes begin, during the lunch hour, or immediately after students are released to distribute surveys. 3. Make an announcement before classes begin over the PA. Make sure students know where they can get the survey. 4. Design flyers to announce that you are conducting a survey and when/where students can participate. 5. Take surveys around to each class individually, with instructor’s approval. 12 Timeline of Events 2007 Suggested Timeline to Start a Youth Entrepreneurship Program January February March Survey of Administration Students Approval Conducted 2008 January February March April May Identify Instructor to Teach Class April Recruitment of Students June July August Instructor Trained at NFTE University* May Student Applications Due/ Interviews Conducted September June Registration Open for Class October November July NFTE texts ordered August December September First Class Begins As this illustration demonstrates, it will take about two years to fully implement a youth entrepreneurship program. In this example, we are starting a class in the fall term of 2008. If you have a different start date in mind, enter the start date into the calendar above and work backward. It is crucial that activities, such as recruitment, take place in the timeframe suggested (one semester prior to the start of the class). * NFTE trainings are conducted throughout the year. You will save money on travel if you send an instructor to a local training during the summer. However, it is possible to have an instructor trained during the winter months prior to the beginning of a class. 13 CAREER RELATED LEARNING REQUIREMENTS 14 Career Related Learning Experiences: Diploma and CAM Requirement Youth entrepreneurship activities can easily fulfill Oregon’s new educational requirements for students. Under the new requirements, students must complete an educational plan. One piece of that plan includes “career-related learning experiences.” One way in which students can gain career-related learning experiences is through the experiential learning activities of the NFTE program. Another way is through the establishment of school based enterprises. Both can be provided in a youth entrepreneurship program. A brief description of these new requirements, as stated by the Oregon Department of Education, is attached. It includes: • Education plan and education profile: describes what an education plan is and what is required of students/school districts in developing a plan. • Career-Related Learning Standards: describes the standards used for career-related learning experiences, a common feature of each student’s plan. • Career-Related Learning Experiences: describes the components and types of career-related learning experiences. Youth entrepreneurship falls under school based-learning experiences. 15 Diploma and CAM Requirement Oregon Department of Education, September 2005 Education Plan and Education Profile Develop an education plan and build an education profile. The education plan and education profile process assists students in pursuing their personal, academic, and career interests and post-high school goals. The education plan serves as a “road map” that guides the student’s learning through high school and prepares him or her for a successful transition to next steps after high school. The education profile serves as a “compass” that documents progress and achievement toward a student’s goals and helps that student stay on course as he or she monitors progress an adjusts the education plan as needed. It is the student’s responsibility, with parental guidance, to develop, review, and manage his or her education plan and profile. The school is responsible for providing the opportunity for each student to develop his or her education plan and profile in grades 7-12 (OAR 581-022-1120). Parents/guardians, school personnel, and community partners provide support and guidance to the student to foster development and promote progress toward learning and transitions to the student’s next steps. Flexibility in the process enables students to change their plans as their interests and goals evolve along the way. Education Plan Requirements Common Features Documentation of personal progress and achievement toward: • CIM academic standards • Career-related learning standards • CAM extended application standard • Career-related learning experiences • Graduation requirements • PASS proficiencies* * Proficiency-based Admission Standards System (PASS) is the admissions system of the Oregon University System that is aligned with the K-12 content standards and benchmarks. For information see website http://pass.ous.edu/ Career-Related Learning Standards Demonstrate career-related knowledge and skills. The career-related learning standards (CRLS) are fundamental skills essential for success in employment, college, family and community life. These skills are taught throughout the curriculum, integrated with academic learning, and emphasized in the students’ career-related learning experiences. Career-Related Learning Standards and Criteria Personal Management • Exhibit appropriate work ethic and behaviors in school, community, and workplace. • Identify tasks that need to be done and initiate action to complete the tasks. 16 • Plan, organize, and complete projects and assigned tasks on time, meeting agreed upon standards of quality. • Take responsibility for decisions and actions and anticipate consequences of decisions and actions. • Maintain regular attendance and be on time. Problem Solving • Apply decision-making and problem-solving techniques in school, community, and workplace. • Identify problems and locate information that may lead to solutions. • Identify alternatives to solve problems. • Assess the consequences of the alternatives. • Select and explain a proposed solution and course of action. • Develop a plan to implement the selected course of action. • Assess results and take corrective action. Communication • Demonstrate effective communication skills to give and receive information in school, community, and workplace. • Locate, process, and convey information using traditional and technological tools. • Listen attentively and summarize key elements of verbal and non-verbal communication. • Give and receive feedback in a positive manner. • Read technical/ instructional materials for information and apply to specific tasks. • Write instructions, technical reports, and business communications clearly and accurately. • Speak clearly, accurately and in a manner appropriate for the intended audience when giving oral instructions, technical reports and business communications. Teamwork • Demonstrate effective teamwork in school, community, and workplace. • Identify different types of teams and roles within each type of team; describe why each role is important to effective teamwork. • Demonstrate skills that improve team effectiveness (e.g., negotiation, compromise, consensus building, conflict management, shared decision making and goal-setting). Employment Foundations • Demonstrate academic, technical, and organizational knowledge and skills required for successful employment. • Apply academic knowledge and technical skills in a career context. • Select, apply, and maintain tools and technologies appropriate for the workplace. • Identify parts of organizations and systems and how they fit together. • Describe how work moves through a system. • Describe the changing nature of work, workplaces, and work processes on individuals, organizations and systems. • Demonstrate dress, appearance, and personal hygiene appropriate for the work environment and situation. • Explain and follow health and safety practices in the work environment. • Explain and follow regulatory requirements, security procedures, and ethical practices. 17 Career Development • Demonstrate career development skills in planning for post high school experiences. • Assess personal characteristics related to educational and career goals. • Research and analyze career and educational information. • Develop and discuss a current plan designed to achieve personal, educational, and career goals. • Monitor and evaluate educational and career goals. • Demonstrate job-seeking skills (e.g., writing resumes, completing applications, and participating in interviews). Career-Related Learning Experiences Participate in career-related learning experiences as outlined in the education plan. Career-related learning experiences are structured educational experiences that connect learning to the world beyond the classroom. They are planned in the student’s education plan in relation to his/her career interests and post-high school goals. Experiences provide opportunities in which students apply academic, career-related, and technical knowledge and skills and may also help students to clarify career goals. Communities small and large, rural and urban can support quality career-related learning experiences. Partnerships with local employers and community organizations provide a variety of opportunities, building upon the community’s strengths and resources. Beyond the local community, regional opportunities help increase the school’s capacity, and technology offers expanding possibilities worldwide. Career-related learning experiences can take place in a variety of ways and places- in school, the workplace, or in the community. Most importantly, these experiences are about learning, not about the type of experience or the place. Required Components for Career-Related Learning Experiences 1. Career-related learning experiences are outlined in the student’s education plan. • Experiences relate to the student’s personal and career interests. 2. Career-related learning experiences are structured around learning goals with identified outcomes. • Clear guidelines and expectations for the student are set up in advance. • Standards are identified that the student is preparing to meet. • Students may demonstrate career-related learning, extended application, academic, and technical knowledge and skills. 3. Student learning is evaluated based upon identified outcomes. • Student progress and achievement toward standards and other learning goals are evaluated by appropriate school and/or career-related learning site providers. Types of Career-Related Learning Experiences Work-Based Learning Structured learning in the workplace provides students an opportunity to apply knowledge and skills in the work environment and gain an understanding of workplace expectations. Work-based learning includes experiences in both the private and public sectors, including for example, internships, structured work experience (paid or unpaid), clinical practicums, and mentorships. 18 Service-Learning Service learning provides structured experiences in organized community service projects that meet actual community needs, while demonstrating academic and career-related knowledge and skills. Students design service-learning projects collaboratively with community partners. Field-Based Investigations Field-based investigations include extended projects that involve fieldwork and substantive contact with adults in business and community institutions that have expertise in the area of study. Students are guided in the pursuit of solutions to real world problems. School-Based Learning School-based experiences provide application through student-managed business enterprises, projects, or other activities on campus. They engage students in complex, real life problem solving and situations that are academically rigorous and empower students as active learners. These may include, for example, project-based learning, school-based enterprises, school newspaper or yearbook, student leadership activities, and workplace simulations. Technology-Based Learning Using a variety of technological tools, such as video conferencing, Internet, and e-mail, mentorships can provide individual guidance and project assistance by employer and community partners. 19 NFTE REQUIREMENTS 20 NFTE Requirements In order to use the NFTE model in your youth entrepreneurship class, you must adhere to NFTE’s minimum requirements as outlined below. NFTE PROGRAM MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS The following items are required to be a NFTE program (and for students to be NFTE alumni). It generally takes at least forty hours to complete these requirements: 1. NFTE Certified Teacher (NFTE CET) leads the program. 2. NFTE text (or BizTech) completed – “Basic” portion, as defined below. 3. A completed NFTE written “Basic” Business Plan, as defined below. 4. Each student presents his/her business plan. 5. One additional experiential activity (from list provided below) completed. Experiential activities (choose at least one): If your time and resources are limited, the items in bold are recommended because they provide hands-on ways to learn the important business concepts. - participate in a wholesale -– retail (selling event) project. - visit a local business (wholesale, retail, manufacturing or service) - conduct a community walk about (used to illustrate opportunity recognition) - involve volunteer business plan coaches - invite guest speakers on various topics - visit a bank (learn about banking, credit and loans, etc.) - interview an entrepreneur - play a trading, negotiation and magazine game - conduct market research outside of school - apply for business license and sales tax ID # - visit a university - visit a local chamber of commerce Please note that this list defines the minimum components required, and that if time and resources permit, NFTE highly recommends the intermediate or advanced level of the text and business plan. We especially encourage the full program experience (hands-on activities, guest speakers, fieldtrips, etc.) outlined in the Teacher Resource Guide lesson plans and sample syllabi. DEFINITIONS OF MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS 1. NFTE CET (Certified Entrepreneurship Teacher) leads program Certified Entrepreneurship Teachers (CETs) are trained through a three or five day NFTE University program. CETs are the primary instructors in the classroom. 21 2. NFTE text (or BizTech) completed – “Basic” portion All classes must cover the basic section of How to Start and Operate a Small Business: 9th Revised Edition (chapters 1-14), How to Start and Operate a Small Business: Fundamentals (chapters 1-14) or BizTech (chapters 1-8). Another possibility is The Young Entrepreneur's Guide to Starting and Running a Business published by Random House (chapters 1-16). We highly encourage teachers to use the syllabi and lesson plans provided in the Teacher’s Resource Guide, which include games, hands-on activities, guest speakers and fieldtrips, which represent the full NFTE experience. 3. A completed NFTE written “Basic” Business Plan You may use the 9th edition workbook, pages 75-96 or the Fundamentals Business Plan workbook - filled out or typed-up in a separate document. You may also use NFTE’s online curriculum, BizTech, and complete the Basic BizPlan chapters. Last, you may use the Random House book, pages 236-248. The business plan PowerPoint presentation template provided by NFTE for business plan competitions can be an addition to, but not a substitute for, completion of a written Basic business plan in the workbook or in BizTech. 4. Each student presents her/his business plan Every student presents his or her business plan to the class (using the NFTE BizPlan PowerPoint Presentation Template or a presentation template created by the NFTE CET). A presentation of a business plan is a summary of key areas with brief talking points from which one elaborates. The Plan must be evaluated by the teacher with feedback provided to the students so they can learn how to build on or improve their plan. (Please refer to the NFTE Business Plan Competition Judge Form for some suggestions.) Please note: • A business plan competition is highly encouraged. A competition is defined as: every student presents his/her business plan (using the NFTE BizPlan PowerPoint Presentation Template) to a panel of “judges” for a “prize”. “Judges” can be teachers, classmates, NFTE alums within the school, other school members, or volunteers from outside the school such as former guest speakers, funders, entrepreneurs or community leaders. This lends a measure of formality and helps build support for the program. “Prizes” can be a certificate (made on a teacher’s computer), trophy or a monetary award depending on the program’s resources. • For NFTE citywide or national business plan competitions/awards, both the intermediate or advanced written plan and PowerPoint presentation are required. 5. One additional experiential activity completed An explanation of these activities is provided in the Teacher Resource Guide and/or the Program Guide. 22 Why are both a written plan and a presentation of a written plan required? What are the differences? A written plan is required because it indicates whether a student comprehends the material in the text and can translate it into a plan for their own business. It also helps youth build writing skills. Business plan development helps them organize thoughts, convey thoughts (in narrative, spreadsheets, and tables, etc.) and use proper grammar. In addition, it provides youth with a formal business plan at program’s end. Our goal is for students to understand the needed components of a business plan and have a tool they can use after the program ends. For example, a student needs a full written plan to run the business, raise or borrow capital, or recruit board members. It may also be used in a portfolio for job interviews and college applications. A presentation of a business plan is a summary of key areas with brief talking points from which the student elaborates. Preparing and delivering presentations help youth build communication skills such as how to distill information into talking points, listen to and answer questions and present oneself professionally. Youth also have the opportunity to create other visual displays and be creative in the way they convey the key elements. A wordy, detailed description copied from the written plan is not a good presentation, nor should the presenter simply read from the presentation slides. 23 INSTRUCTOR NFTE CERTIFICATION 24 NFTE Teacher Education Programs: Becoming a Certified NFTE Instructor In order to teach a NFTE class, there must be a lead instructor certified to teach NFTE. An instructor can become certified through any “NFTE University” teacher education program. NFTE provides three to five day teacher education programs for a $950 registration fee per participant, plus travel costs. • During the school year, NFTE hosts three-day programs at its headquarters in New York City, and at select program offices. NFTE Headquarters 120 Wall Street, 29th Floor New York, NY 10005 Tel: 800-368-6383 Fax: 212-232-2244 • During the summer, NFTE holds four and five day programs, hosted at university partner campuses nationwide. o Babson College o Carnegie Mellon University o Georgetown University o Stanford University o University of Tampa o Yale School of Management o New York University o European Business School London o Columbia University o University of Iowa • Applications for programs are managed by the NFTE program offices. For more information on the teacher education program and training dates, contact your program office. For Oregon, the program office is located in San Francisco at: Bay Area NFTE office Jenna Payne, Director of Programs 275 Fifth Street, 2nd Floor San Francisco, CA 94103-4120 Tel: 415-644-0844 Fax: 415-541-8590 Learn from our experiences! We have had teachers attend both the three and five day trainings. While it may be difficult to get away for the full five days, it is well worth the extra time and expense. 25 STUDENT RECRUITMENT 26 Recruiting Students Why do you need to recruit students? Recruiting students is one of the most important actions you can take to ensure the success of your youth entrepreneurship program. Both of the individuals we have had teach the NFTE class emphasized the necessity of this process. While the class can be taught with students who have not demonstrated any interest in entrepreneurship, the program will have a greater chance of success with motivated students. You must hit the hallways and market the program in order to locate the students that may be interested in starting their own business. Strategies for recruitment • Provide information during a school assembly • Use the school announcements to let students know about the new class • Create posters to place in the hallways. A sample poster is attached. • Speak directly with students that you think may have entrepreneurial abilities • Speak to student advisors, counselors, and other teachers involved with scheduling students for classes • Attach quotes from successful entrepreneurs to treats. On the back, write information about your class. Place these in a basket at the front desk. Tip 1: Engage students in your entrepreneurship class to help with recruitment. If you don’t have an entrepreneurial class yet, bring in students from another high school’s class to help with recruitment. Tip 2: Use local volunteers to help with recruitment if students are not available. Our experiences: In the first year the instructor recruited students one month prior to the start of the semester. She created posters to hang in the hallways, gave presentations to each class, and spent some time walking around the hallway speaking with students. The students recruited for the class were mixed in terms of their academic standing, grade level, involvement in school activities, and economic background. They all had in common, though, the desire to be their own boss. Result: Few students dropped the class. All of those completing the class were selfmotivated and created a business plan for a business idea. In the second year, the instructor did not have time to recruit students in advance of the class. A volunteer spent the first week of the class recruiting, setting up an interactive informational table in the hallway. This last minute recruitment effort led to a class filled with students. But the reason students joined was as likely to be that they didn’t like other classes offered during the period as it was that they wanted to join the entrepreneurship class. Result: Most of the students recruited dropped the class at semester. Recruitment had to be undertaken again for the second semester. Learn from our experiences! Recruit the semester prior to the beginning of your class. 27 Matches Matches Box Entrepreneur Customer Ask your Student Advisor about Fall Term Classes. To enroll, a completed application will be required. 28 APPLICATION PROCESS 29 Student Application Why must students apply? Immediately following your general recruitment efforts, you should conduct a student application process. The application process is not used to “weed out” students, but to: • Provide students with a valuable educational experience. The process of applying for the class mimics the application process used by employers. • Make the students feel as though they earned the right to be in the class. • Help you learn more about what your future class may be interested in, their business and entrepreneurial skills or background, and to get an idea of what might excite and interest them about the class. • Locate students interested in starting their own businesses. The class requires a certain amount of self direction. While the instructor can provide daily assignments and interesting exercises, it takes the student’s personal motivation to make the course worthwhile. The application process consists of: 1. A double sided application completed by the student. The application asks a series of brief essay questions and asks the student to rate her/his skills as an entrepreneur. Two variations of the application form are attached. The application should be given to the student before registering for the course. You will need to set a due date for the application that allows enough time for you to interview and select the student and allows enough time for the student to then register. Translation: start early! Tip 1: Give the student about two weeks to complete the application. Send/make frequent reminders one week before the due date. Expect to do a final collection on the last day the forms are due. Tip 2: Engage students currently in your entrepreneurial course to help recruit and collect applications. 2. A ten-minute interview with each applicant. The interview should be conducted by the instructor and may be attended by two to three community members to help make the process feel more “real” to students. It should be kept small and intimate to avoid frightening the applicants. For the interview the instructor will need to: a. Send students information about the time and place of the interview and what they can expect at least one day in advance. b. Schedule the interviews back-to-back. Students may be called out of class (if this is an option) or can come in during their lunch period. c. Hold the interviews in an empty break room or classroom. 3. After completing the application and interview process, you will need to notify students that they have been accepted into the course. They will need to make any necessary additions or changes to their schedule as appropriate. Provide the student with encouraging feedback about the application and interview. 30 Entrepreneurship: How to Start and Operate a Small Business Student Application- DEADLINE Friday, <date> For the <year, e.g. 2004-2005> Course Scheduling for this course will be determined after all the applicants have been screened. Name: ______________________________________________ Class Year: _________ Address: _____________________________________________ Phone: ____________ City, State, Zip: __________________________________________________________ 1. Why do you want to take this class? 2. What skills and/or knowledge do you hope to gain by taking this class? 3. What will your classmates gain by having you participate in this class? 4. Briefly list any jobs, internships, and/or volunteer experiences you have participated in. 5. List any hobbies and/or extra-curricular activities you are involved in. 6. What are your plans for after graduation from high school? 7. What are your goals or vision for your future? Please complete “How much of an Entrepreneur are YOU?” on the reverse of this page. Thank you! Please return completed application to <teacher name>. 31 How much of an Entrepreneur are you?* Quality Explanation Range Drive Highly Motivated 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Perseverance Sticking to a task or goal 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Risk Taking Willing to take chances 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Organization Life and work in order 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Confidence Sure of yourself 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Persuasiveness Able to convince others 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Honesty Open, truthful 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Competitiveness Eager to win 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Adaptability Coping with new situations 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Understanding Empathy with others 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Discipline Self-control 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Vision Able to keep goals in mind 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Date ______ Total Score ____ *Adapted from The National Federation of Independent Businesses, Entrepreneur Series, 1983. 32 Entrepreneurship: How to Start and Operate a Small Business Student Application for the 2005-2006 Entrepreneurial Course This form must be completed and returned to <teacher name>. Name: ______________________________________________ Class Year: _________ Address: _____________________________________________ Phone: ____________ City, State, Zip: __________________________________________________________ Why do you want to take this course on entrepreneurship? What skills and/or knowledge do you hope to gain by taking this class? Have you ever had your own business or had a good idea for one? Please explain. Please complete “How much of an Entrepreneur are YOU?” on the reverse of this page. Thank you! 33 How much of an Entrepreneur are you?* Quality Explanation Range Drive Highly Motivated 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Perseverance Sticking to a task or goal 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Risk Taking Willing to take chances 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Organization Life and work in order 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Confidence Sure of yourself 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Persuasiveness Able to convince others 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Honesty Open, truthful 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Competitiveness Eager to win 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Adaptability Coping with new situations 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Understanding Empathy with others 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Discipline Self-control 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Vision Able to keep goals in mind 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Date ______ Total Score ____ *Adapted from The National Federation of Independent Businesses, Entrepreneur Series, 1983. 34 CLASSROOM VOLUNTEERS 35 Classroom Volunteers The NFTE model encourages using community members as volunteer instructors in the classroom. It also encourages developing connections between students and business people in their community. There are a number of ways you can use volunteers and promote community interaction. A few methods are listed below. How do I promote interaction between students and the community? • Visit local businesses A visit to a local business can help your students generate ideas for their own businesses, learn what is required to create a successful business, or find out more about their competitors. Ask your students what they are interested in and visit competitors, or visit a business that could generate lots of different ideas. Focus on opportunity recognition exercises that will help your students think critically about what type of business they could create. These visits are good to set up for the first couple of weeks of the class when students are fresh and looking for ideas. To arrange a visit, call the owner of the business you wish to visit at least two weeks in advance. Let her/him know: that you are the instructor for a youth entrepreneurship class that teaches students how to start their own businesses that you are interested in bringing a group of students over for a tour of the business and Q&A session with the owner the number of students you propose bringing the time you wish to visit, which will be the period during which you regularly hold the class If the owner agrees to a visit, determine a date when you would be able to come. At least two days prior to the visit, call the owner again to confirm the visit as scheduled. Prior to the visit you will need to: arrange for transportation to the business arrange for a substitute teacher if you will be away for more than one class period send permission slips home to parents and ensure that all come back with valid signatures prepare students for the visit, what to expect, and what they are expected to get from it. Let them know if there will there be an assignment related to the visit. Following the visit, thank the business owner for meeting with your students. A thank you directly from the students works even better. Spend part or all of the next class session discussing what the students noticed during their visit. Learn from our experiences! Videotape and/or take pictures of your excursions and your students reactions. It will help you promote the class for following years. 36 • • • • • Have your students complete a community profile One opportunity recognition exercise that students can undertake that will get them to interact with others in the community is a community profile. Students should spend some time thinking about what is available in their community currently and what they find lacking that they could provide as an entrepreneur. They should speak with other members of their community about what these members think makes their community unique and what it is missing. The students can then take the responses from their community and begin to think like an entrepreneur in identifying possible business opportunities. For instance, if a number of people the students speak to mention that they have a hard time getting to the store, maybe there is room for a grocery delivery service in town. Encourage business owners to act as mentors You can establish relationships with local business owners by pairing them with students in your class. These owners can act as business mentors for your students. This process is potentially very time consuming. If you have a program that helps set-up internships or job shadowing experiences with students, it is recommended that you rely on them for assistance. This option is mentioned because it has the potential to be valuable to students, but currently it is not being utilized in our programs. Have students conduct business and market research The process of developing a business plan in the NFTE class will require students to interact with their community and competitors while researching their business. This should happen naturally, but it will require the instructor’s encouragement. The instructor will need to set aside class time or assign homework that will give students the time and opportunity to conduct their research. Such research could include such things as: Speaking with competitors about what products/services they offer After identifying a target market, conducting a survey of the market to determine if the potential customer would be willing to purchase the product or service. Invite local community members to view PowerPoint presentations by students Both NFTE instructors have invited community members to attend presentations by their students. These presentations explain the basic facts about the student’s business idea before the student completes a final written business plan. Each year, the instructor has taken a different approach in using this tool. A complete explanation of the approaches can be found in the “PowerPoint Presentations by Students” section. Ask local community members to be judges for a Business Plan Competition Consider holding a business plan competition and asking local community members to judge the competition. More information on how to organize a business plan competition is included in the “Business Plan Competition” section of this document. Learn from our experiences! Inviting community members to presentations by students can be a great tool for building support for your program and encouraging for students. 37 How do I utilize volunteers in the classroom? Step One: Educate volunteers Educating volunteers prior to the start of your NFTE class is a vital part of the program if you wish to use these volunteers to help you with instruction. Professionals from the business community, in assisting with instruction, can bring years of experience as well as new insight into your class. This can be especially helpful in the first year as you become familiar with the new curriculum. If you have decided not to use volunteers to assist with instruction, but rather want to ask them in as guest speakers or mentors, you may skip this section and go on to step two. If you wish to use a large number of volunteers to help with instruction, consider holding a community workshop to teach them the NFTE basics. The workshop should be designed to fit your needs, but some of the things you should consider are: • Length of the workshop It will take about a half day to do a complete training for your volunteers. • Who to invite First, think about who will have the time and experience to assist you. An individual currently starting or running a small business may not be able to get away from their business. It may be appropriate to ask them to be a guest speaker or for a tour of their operation, but they likely won’t have the time to teach. However, someone who has recently retired may be more likely to have the time to dedicate to helping with your class. Next, think about your strengths and weaknesses in teaching the material. Are you really good at teaching students how to design a marketing plan but all thumbs when it comes to financial statements? Consider contacting a retired accountant, your local Small Business Development Center (SBDC) or Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE). Some likely contacts that you can try are: SBDC. To find contact information for your local office go to: http://www.bizcenter.org/locations.html SCORE. To find your local SCORE chapter go to: http://www.score.org/findscore Retired Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP). http://www.seniorcorps.org/about/programs/rsvp.asp. Near the bottom of the page is a form to search for local contacts. Local Chamber of Commerce. They will know local businesses. Local community college or university. They may have business students that would be willing to assist you in the classroom. • When to hold the workshop Setting a day and time for the workshop can be tricky, especially if the material you wish to cover will take a number of hours. If you already have volunteers in mind, ask them what would be the best day and time for them that will also work within your own time constraints. If you are setting up a workshop prior to volunteer recruitment, consider what other commitments your volunteers are likely to have. Are they likely working during the day? During the evening? Are there community events or meetings that you need to avoid? 38 • • • • • • • Where to hold the workshop The best place to hold the workshop is in the classroom in which you will be teaching. This allows volunteers time to become familiar with their surroundings. It will also make it easier for you to explain where things are and for your volunteers to visualize their roles. Food and beverage Consider providing light snacks and water, or ask your volunteers to bring their own, especially if it will be a longer workshop. Also, remember to allow time for breaks during the workshop. What to cover This workshop should help the volunteer understand the basics of the youth entrepreneurship program including how the class is run and a basic overview of what students will learn. It is not intended to explain exactly what a volunteer would do in a specific class period as that is explained in the lesson plan. Rather, it should give an overview of the main sections to give them an understanding of how to present material to the students. Included in the topics you cover in the workshop should be: School rules and regulations Overview of class, such as when and where it meets Overview of NFTE, including the mission and objectives NFTE materials used in the class and contents of the NFTE book Student requirements for completing the class How to use the instructor’s materials Materials Bring NFTE textbooks, workbooks, teacher’s manuals, paper, and pens. Expectations Clearly outline expectations for your volunteers. If they complete this training will they be asked to complete a certain number of hours in the classroom? Will they be responsible for a full lesson plan on the days they are available? Background check This is a good time to gain your volunteers’ consent to perform a criminal background check on them, if this is required by the district or of concern to you. Make certain to have the necessary paperwork available at the workshop. Learn about your volunteers The workshop is an ideal time to discover the strengths of your volunteers. Learning these strengths is essential for helping you determine when and how they can help you in the classroom. Also, this time should be used to determine when a volunteer would potentially be available based on her/his current schedule. If you want to use only one or two volunteers in the classroom, you may meet with the volunteers individually to review the necessary material, determine strengths, and gain consent to a background check, if necessary. If you choose to utilize volunteers to help teach, it is a good idea to have a second instructor’s manual on hand as a loaner. The instructor’s manual does a good job of working out individual lesson plans. 39 Step Two: Bring in your volunteers as guest instructors or guest speakers When you are at a point that you can use a volunteer in the classroom you should: • Make initial contact with the volunteer. Let them know: 1. What time you would like them to come to class. Confirm that they will be available for the date and time you want at least two weeks in advance. 2. What you have been covering in the class and how you think they can assist you. Explain what you would expect from a presentation and ask the volunteer if they are comfortable delivering a presentation to address the issue(s). • At least two days prior to your class: 1. Follow up with a reminder to the volunteer. 2. Determine the audio-visual needs of the volunteer and if they will need copies of handouts made. 3. Gather information from the volunteer that will help you prepare an introduction to the class that adequately explains the experience and knowledge the volunteer has to offer. • Notify students in advance that they will be hearing from a local community member. Let the students know what is expected of them during and after the volunteer’s presentation. • The day a volunteer is scheduled to appear: 1. Arrange for a student to meet the volunteer at the front desk if the volunteer is required to sign-in 2. Have students prepare nametags if you think it will help the volunteer 3. Provide an introduction of the guest 4. Thank the guest for their time 40 PRESENTATIONS and COMPETITIONS 41 PowerPoint Presentations by Students In order to complete the NFTE requirements, each student must present her/his business plan. We recommend that these presentations be made in the presence of classmates, the instructor, volunteers involved with the program, community members, and parents. Both of the instructors teaching our NFTE course chose to have their students prepare presentations for this type of group. A description of each presentation is provided in this section with any supporting materials the instructors used. These descriptions should give you an idea of how to help your students develop a similar event. 42 Presentations by Students Year One During the first year of the NFTE class, students were required to present their business plan only once before a group of community members, students, and teachers during the final week of class. Each presentation incorporated all of the research and planning the student had completed on their business plan. • Invitations Invitations were extended to community members who had been guest speakers over the course of the semester. E-mails were sent by the instructor notifying these individuals of the date, time, and location of the presentations. • Location of event The event was held at Waldport High School in the multimedia/computer room. This was the only location that allowed for projection of the presentations. A row of chairs was set up in front of the screen for visitors. • Timing Students presented their business plans over the course of a single class period during the last week of school. • Structure of the presentations The instructor introduced the students and gave a brief overview of the NFTE class. The students then proceeded to present their business plans, followed by a brief question and answer session. • Requirements of the students Presentations were graded. Each student was required to have the following elements in their PowerPoint: Business name Business profile with mission statement, type of business, and legal structure Economics of one unit with the definition of one unit, selling price per unit, cost to produce one unit, and gross profit per unit Market analysis describing the target market List of competitors and explanation of the business’s competitive advantage Marketing plan Monthly sales projection Start-up investment, including where items could be purchased Financing strategy for start-up investment Average monthly operating costs Projected yearly income statement Return on Investment and Break Even Analysis Business and educational Goals Philanthropy plan Intellectual property to include a logo, and any needs for patents, copyrights, or trademarks Time management plan 43 • • • Length of time required for student preparation The students began working on their individual business plans halfway through the semester. It took approximately two weeks for them to put their written information into a PowerPoint presentation and make corrections as recommended by the instructor. Handouts/Materials given to visitors: None Mechanism for feedback Students were given verbal feedback immediately following their presentation. Due to the fact that there was only one set of presentations and that they were given at the end of the year, there was not time allowed for students to make changes in the classroom setting in response to the feedback. If the class had been able to do presentations twice during the semester, the students would have been able to respond to changes before their final event Learn from our experiences! Invite community members to a presentation by students halfway through the project in addition to a final event. The mid-way presentations will allow students to make changes to their business plans in response to the feedback they receive before they create a final document. 44 Presentations by Students Year Two During the second year, the first set of presentations was given one month into the second semester, just after new students were recruited. Since this class is still ongoing, the students have not yet given final presentations. However, creating opportunities for presentations early in the second semester allowed students to receive feedback from experienced business people, react to this feedback and change their plans accordingly. The first set of presentations assigned by the instructor was a competition to arrive at a name and product for the school based enterprise, a Smoothie Business. Presentations were given over the course of two days, with one day for follow-up. Each presentation incorporated all research the students groups had done up to that point. • Invitations Invitations were extended to five individuals with previous involvement with the class. Invitations were made by the instructor via e-mail. • Location of event The WHS home-ec room was the initial meeting location for the invitees. Students produced their smoothies in the home-ec room, served their guests, then brought them to the multimedia center for the main presentations. • Timing Presentation took place over the course of two days. An explanation of the class and two presentations by student groups occurred on the Friday before spring break. The remaining presentations were given the Monday after spring break because some students needed additional preparation. • Structure of the presentations The presentation program was entirely student-run. An agenda describing the sequence of events is attached. • Requirements of the students A description of the assignment given to students is attached. • Length of time required for student preparation Many of the students presenting had been in the class for only about one month. • Handouts/Materials given to the visitors (samples are attached) Agenda Assignment description List of competitors Feedback sheets • Mechanism for feedback Students were given verbal feedback immediately following their presentation. In addition, feedback was given to the entire group at the conclusion of each day. Each individual attending the presentations received a packet which included a page for recording comments. The attendees were asked to return on the third day (Tuesday after spring break) to share these comments with the students. This class period was led by one of the students, which was an impressive aspect of the program. Additional thoughts were provided by the visitors via e-mail. These comments were read and discussed the following day. 45 Agenda Friday I. Welcome a. Meet the students b. Enjoy a cool and delicious smoothie II. Introduction- (student name) a. Introduction of new and old students b. Explanation of the business III. PowerPoint Presentation about the class IV. Explanation of class assignment- (student name) V. Introduction to first presentation- (student name) a. presentation by (student names) VI. Introduction to second presentation- (student name) a. Smoothie b. Presentation by (student names) Monday VII. Introduction to third presentation- (student name) a. Smoothie b. PowerPoint presentation by (student names) VIII. Introduction to fourth presentation- (student name) a. Smoothies b. PowerPoint presentations by (student names) IX. Introduction to fifth presentation- (student name) a. Smoothie b. PowerPoint presentation by (student names) X. Introduction to sixth presentation- (student name) a. Smoothie b. PowerPoint presentation by (student names) 46 Entrepreneurship PowerPoint Assignment Worth 150 Points Prize: $20.00 or a Pizza Party for the Company who wins Create a PowerPoint presentation. You may work by yourself or you may work in a group. Focus on the product you are selling. Come up with an appropriate name for your business that REPRESENTS who you are, what you’re all about, and what you are selling. Things to include in your presentation: - Company Name - Logo - Slogan - Attire your workers will wear - Mission Statement - New Recipe using frozen fruit, please Ingredients Amounts/weights/sizes - COGS (Cost of Goods) for 1 unit - Sales Price- compare your price to other companies - Incorporate video - Incorporate music - Serving your drink to the class - Make a sample of your drink to serve to the class - Include a presentation on why you came up with your recipe: market research/consumer requests How it will be graded - spectacularness - originality - practicality - creativity - tastefulness= meaning- can we show it to everyone - tastefulness= meaning- is the recipe delicious - appropriateness - team work!! 47 Business Plan Competition Once you have developed a strong program, consider holding a business plan competition at the end of each school year for the students who have completed the class with a written business plan. In the first two years our program did not conduct a business plan competition since we were still working out the program basics. It is our goal to hold a competition in the third year, with the winning concept receiving $1,000 in start-up capital. The following information should provide a simple framework for such a competition. • Planning Prepare for the business plan competition early as you will need to ask for donations for awards and recruit volunteers to assist you during the competition. Judging of the business plans can take place in advance of the competition with the event being a way for the students to proudly present their work to the community and celebrate their accomplishments. • Expectations of Students As a result of completion of the NFTE course, students should have a completed business plan. For the competition they should be expected to: Dress up Provide a polished, written copy of their business plans Prepare a PowerPoint presentation and speech Also, the students should be intricately involved in planning the event. They can help to develop a program for the evening and send invitations. Students should also determine who they would like to MC the event and formally request the involvement of this individual. • Invitations Invitations should be extended three weeks in advance of your planned competition. You may request that invitees respond at least two weeks in advance if they wish to attend or you may leave it as an open invitation. Consider inviting: Parents/Guardians and family of your students Teachers Administrators Community Members, including the mayor, city councilors, and chamber of commerce board of directors. Representative from each of your local banks Volunteers with your program • Location of the Event Consider holding the event in your school gym or media center. The area must provide adequate seating for the guests you have invited and have the capabilities to support AV equipment. Consider an area that will allow you to provide refreshments after the competition. • Timing The event should be held on an evening prior to graduation and a few days before classes end. • Presentation Requirements In order to host the event you will need to make sure that you have the following available: 48 • • • AV equipment podium with sound system Programs for guests Video and camera to record the competition and take still pictures. Request that one of your volunteers or another student take on this responsibility to leave you free to deal with event details. Judging You will need to locate a panel of judges for the competition and develop a criteria for judging. If a local bank is sponsoring the prize, at least one representative of the bank should be involved with selection. Judges should not have personal connections to students and should be knowledgeable about business creation. Potential judges include: Bank Individuals who work with private, non profit, or government business assistance programs Small business owners Give judges written plans in advance of the competition. Criteria for judging should be based upon things such as: Can the student clearly present her/his business concept? Is this concept based on sound research and analysis? Is the business idea viable? Has the student identified a market for the service or product? Does the business provide a new, unique, or improved service or product? Has the student provided realistic cash flow and sales projections? Does the business have the potential to be profitable? Prizes Ask local banks to provide funds for start-up capital for the winning business. Ask banks at the beginning of the school year to provide these funds and make sure that the donation is prominently acknowledged. The award should be made to the student at the conclusion of the evening and distributed to an account which they can access for continued education or business needs. Have certificates printed for all students completing a plan. Media Invite the media to attend the event. Provide additional recognition for your students at graduation, an assembly, or awards banquet as appropriate. 49 LESSONS LEARNED 50 Lessons Learned Length of Class If you are trying to teach the NFTE basics and create a school based enterprise, your class will need at least a full year of instruction. One semester does not allow enough time for students to grasp business concepts and develop a finalized business plan. Instructor Training We have had teachers attend both the three and five day NFTE University trainings. While it may be difficult to get away for the full five days, it is well worth the extra time and expense. Recruiting Students Recruit students the semester prior to the beginning of your class. Spending time recruiting students beforehand will pay off when the class is in session. Student Applications Have students go through an application process. Whether you have students fill out an application, attend an interview, or both, they will feel as though they have earned the right to be part of the class. It is also a valuable educational exercise for students to take part in. Record Experiences Videotape and/or take pictures of your class, field trips, and events. It will help you promote the class for following years. It can also be useful for developing presentations to gain school district and community support. Multiple Student Presentations Invite community members to oral presentations by students. It will help build support for your program and provide a means for your students to get feedback about their ideas. Try to arrange for students to do at least two presentations, one mid-way through their project and one at the end. 51 SUMMARY 52 Summary This is part one of two of the youth entrepreneurship manuals developed by the Oregon Coast Community College Small Business Development Center. It was designed to lead you through creating or improving a NFTE youth entrepreneurship class. Part one of this manual can be used in conjunction with our second manual, which deals with the creation of School Based Enterprises. As mentioned before, please utilize the information provided in a manner that makes sense for your local community and environment. Most of the lessons learned can be transferred to a wide array of programs, both in-school and after-school. If you have any questions about our youth entrepreneurship programs, please contact the Small Business Development Center. Contact Information: Oregon Coast Community College Small Business Development Center 1206 SE 38th Street 541/994-4166 FAX 541/996-4958 http://www.occc.cc.or.us/sbdc 53 54 Acronyms CAM- Certificate of Advanced Mastery. “The Certificate of Advanced Mastery (CAM) is an award earned by students who have demonstrated rigorous application of knowledge and skills in preparation for their post-high school goals.” – ODE CET- Certified Entrepreneurship Teacher. A CET is the primary instructor for a NFTE class and is trained through a NFTE University program. CIM- Certificate of Initial Mastery. “The Certificate of Initial Mastery CIM) is an award earned by students who have met performance standards on state tests and classroom work samples in English/language arts, mathematics, and science.” - ODE CRLS- Career Related Learning Standards. Information about CRLS can be found in the “Career Related Learning Requirements” section. LCSD- Lincoln County School District. NFTE- National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship. “NFTE teaches entrepreneurship to young people from low-income communities to enhance their economic productivity by improving their business, academic and life skills.” OCCC- Oregon Coast Community College. ODE- Oregon Department of Education. PASS- Proficiency- based Admission Standards System. RCSP- Rural Community School Program. REAL- Rural Entrepreneurship Through Action Learning. REAL offers experiential entrepreneurship education programs for students from Kindergarten through Post-Secondary levels. RSVP- Retired Senior Volunteer Program. “RSVP connects volunteers age 55 and older with service opportunities in their communities.” SBDC- Small Business Development Center. Provides one-on-one counseling, training and information referral to help start, grow, and retain small business. SBE- School Based Enterprise. SCORE- Service Corps of Retired Executives. SCORE provides free counseling to help encourage the formation, growth, and success of small businesses. VISTA- Volunteers in Service to America. A national service program in which individuals serve for one year to create and expand programs that ultimately bring low-income individuals and communities out of poverty. WHS- Waldport High School. 55
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