YouthQuest Students Begin Their Journey to Becoming Youth Entrepreneurs

A key component of YouthQuest is youth development and leadership, and one way students receive support in this is through YQ Biz – YouthQuest’s entrepreneurial club.

This school year, YouthQuest is partnering with Genesee Intermediate School District, which received funding from the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation to bring this opportunity to students along with the chance to sell items from their business and win money during a pitch competition.

“We are excited for our students to learn the many aspects of starting and running a business,” says Nefertari Jones, director of YouthQuest. “Students learn key aspects such as financial literacy, creativity and public speaking.”

During the club, which runs throughout the school year, students will brainstorm a product, service or application. From there, students will build on their ideas and create virtual pitches that they’ll present twice – once at a mini-pitch competition in December and another at the big pitch competition in May.

Currently, students are working on brainstorming ideas by thinking about their daily lives and what they could create to make their lives easier.

Next, students will learn how to do market research and target audiences. All these lessons will help them build their business to a point where they can start to sell services or products.

Students will have two opportunities to sell their services and goods. Once, at the YQ Biz Marketplace in December and another, at the GISD Youth Entrepreneurial Institute Marketplace next year. All profits made from the marketplaces will go directly to the students with product and other costs at the expense of the club.

The YQ Biz club is open to all students in the area. For more information about YouthQuest and how to get involved, visit yquest.org.

YouthQuest is made possible through the generous support of the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation and 21st Century Community Learning Centers.