"Empowering Youth Entrepreneurs" issue (December)

A newsletter (for adults) about career-readiness (for kids).

Dec 14, 2023

Dear Readers,

The holiday season is here. We’re all busy. My gift to you? A shorter, themed newsletter, so you can quickly get the highlights you need. This month I’m reflecting on the power of entrepreneurship—an area of vital importance for young people who are finding their voices and building their own pathways to adulthood.

To advance the mission of creating more young entrepreneurs, we’ve announced a strategic alliance with the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) to expand entrepreneurship education opportunities for middle and high schoolers from disadvantaged and rural communities. So, what does young entrepreneurship look like? It looks like this K-8 school in Pennsylvania that partnered with MicroSociety, Inc. to teach kids entrepreneurial education—including business management—by incorporating it into their regular curriculum. It looks like these at-risk youth in California entering a sustainable house they designed and built into the Orange County Sustainability Decathlon, and winning, against all odds. And, it looks like 17-year-old Raneem al Suwaidani winning the World Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge for her idea: a food truck rental program in which BIPOC culinary entrepreneurs can test out their skills in a low-cost, risk-free environment.

These are the stories (see all links below) that are exciting and motivating me this month. I look forward to sharing more with you in January, and to a 2024 filled with more stories about a brighter future for our kids! Happy holidays.

Sincerely,

Jean

P.S. - If you’d like to reach me directly, I’d love to hear from you. Email me at press@asa.org

Industry News & Research Links:

American Student Assistance Announces Strategic Alliance with Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship to Increase Access to Entrepreneurship Education for Youth in Under-Resourced Communities (Yahoo Finance, November 30, 2023)

Microsocieties and Much More: Entrepreneurship Education is Inspiring Kids Throughout SWPA (Kidsburgh, November 6, 2023)

Build a Home, Fix a Car, Get a Job: How an Innovative School is Keeping Kids Out of Jail (USA Today, November 23, 2023)

17-year-old Raneem Al Suwaidani from the United States wins World Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge (NFTE Newsroom, November 23, 2023)

Events:

Below is a list of upcoming events and recaps of recent panel presentations that elevate critical conversations in the youth career readiness space.

Register to Attend:

SXSW EDU (Austin, March 4-7, 2024)

Transform (Wynn, Las Vegas, March 11-13, 2024)