Students Busy at YouthBiz

March has been a busy month so far for students and leaders in our YouthBiz program!  Preparations are well underway for the YouthBiz Spring Marketplace, which will be held Saturday, April 29 at Young Americans Center in Denver.  This biannual event showcases youth entrepreneurs who sell everything from soap to burritos to getting cards.  There are still booths available, but they are going fast–reserve your spot today, and save the date on your calendar for the ultimate buy local experience!

Capital One hosted the YouthBiz/Capital One Upcycle Workshop at the Capital One Cafe on March 9.  Creativity and teamwork filled the room as students created a product prototype out of recycled materials and then organized a presentation to explain their ideas.  A special thank you goes out to the amazing volunteers from Capital One who donated their time to support these aspiring businessmen and women!

YouthBiz StartUp participants presented their business ideas in two different ‘Shark Tank’-style pitch competitions a week later.  YouthBiz StartUp guides middle school students through and introduction to the business cycle, including lessons on self-discovery, teamwork, budgeting, public speaking, and self-evaluation.  Although the students were initially nervous about pitching their business ideas to panels of real business professionals, you would never know it from watching in the audience!  Presentations were professional and impressive, and it was hard to believe that students had been working for just a few weeks.  There were two overall winners: Handy Helpers, made up of Sarai, Shaylynne, and Betty won for their custom phone holder.  Gloire won for his Virtual Coach App which can help users achieve their goals.  All students received valuable feedback from the judges about how to make their businesses and presentations even better.  Kudos to outstanding volunteers from Amica Mutual Insurance Company, Anadarko Petroleum Corporation, Eide Bailly, Strive Prep, Jackson National Life Insurance Company, and Innovation Pavilion and to David Northrop for supporting youth entrepreneurship.

Does all of this talk of entrepreneurship inspire you to learn more?  Sign up for our FREE Spring Break StartUp Camp which will be held at Blair-Caldwell Library in Denver.  Sign up for this Tuesday-Friday adventure here or by contacting the Blair-Caldwell Library: (720) 865-2401 or askblaircaldwell@denverlibrary.org.