Released Jan. 7, 2008
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Entrepreneurship is everyone's business, including high school students, and a daylong workshop will introduce those students to the entrepreneurial process and aid teachers as they guide the future business leaders.
The Entrepreneurship Youth Institute, presented by the Indiana Council for Economic Education (ICEE) and sponsored by Indiana WIRED, will take place Jan. 29 at Stewart Center on Purdue University's West Lafayette campus. While there is no cost for the 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. workshop, enrollment is limited to students and teachers within the 14 counties that make up the Indiana WIRED region.
Indiana WIRED, an economic and work force development initiative administered by Purdue, comprises Benton, Carroll, Cass, Clinton, Fountain, Fulton, Howard, Miami, Montgomery, Tippecanoe, Tipton, Wabash, Warren and White counties.
"The institute is a two-track program designed to raise awareness of entrepreneurship and how entrepreneurs get started," said Jeff Sanson, event coordinator and ICEE programs director. "Entrepreneurship provides a nice context to teach students how the economy works."
Many young people hope to start their own business someday. A 2007 study conducted by Harris Interactive for the Kauffman Foundation found that 40 percent of those surveyed between the ages of 8 and 21 want to be their own boss. Sixty-three percent of the 2,438 surveyed believe that if they work hard they have the ability to successfully start a business.
"The interest is certainly there," Sanson said. "What the Institute will do is allow students to interact with entrepreneurs and learn the basics of market research and developing business plans."
Following breakfast and an introductory opening session, attendees will hear Scott Abbott, an entrepreneur and author of "Pocket PorchLights," a book of insights and ideas for young people as they enter adulthood and the business world.
"After our keynote speaker we'll have a session on networking and how making contacts with people and organizations can help entrepreneurs get their dreams off the ground," Sanson said. "Then participants will hear firsthand from entrepreneurs who've been successful in making their dreams reality."
Speakers include Terry Smith of Rubia Flower Market, West Lafayette, and Frank Rowley, a Connersville teacher who owns a business that produces life-size adhesive photos similar to the sports-related Fathead brand.
Students and teachers will attend separate afternoon sessions. The student session, "Elements of Entrepreneurship," delves into marketing and business planning. Teachers will participate in a session titled "Creating a Culture of Entrepreneurship in High School."
Afternoon session facilitators include Barbara Beadle of the Indiana Department of Education, Susan Davis of the Small Business Development Center and Kathy Parkison of Indiana University-Kokomo.
The day concludes with an optional visit to Purdue Research Park.
Armed with their new knowledge, students will be encouraged to develop a plan for an Indiana-based business. Students and their teachers will be invited to return to Purdue in April to present their business plans to a panel of business and faculty experts. Students whose plans are judged most likely to succeed, best rural enterprise or most creative/innovative will receive $400 tuition vouchers.
Teachers at high schools in the Indiana WIRED region can bring up to four students with them to the institute.
To register or for more information, contact Sanson at (765) 494-0188, jjsanson@purdue.edu, or download a brochure with registration form at the ICEE Web site, located at http://www.econed-in.org/.
Registration deadline is Jan. 15.
The Indiana Council for Economic Education is a nonprofit organization based at Purdue's West Lafayette campus. The organization operates 11 educational centers across Indiana. Its mission is to improve economic literacy among K-12 students in Indiana through professional development programs for teachers and innovative teaching tools such as the Stock Market Game.
WIRED, which stands for Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development, is a federal initiative designed to energize the nation's economy through regional economic development partnerships and work force education and training. In 2006 the U.S. Department of Labor awarded $15 million each to 13 regions in the United States, including a grant to the Indiana Department of Workforce Development.
Additional information about Indiana WIRED is available at the project Web site at http://www.indiana-wired.net.
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http://news.uns.purdue.edu/x/2008a/080107SansonEntrepreneur.html
Contacts: Steve Leer, (765) 494-8415, sleer@purdue.edu
Jeff Sanson, (765) 494-0188, jjsanson@purdue.edu
Beth Forbes, (765) 494-2722, forbes@purdue.edu
