GREATER WESTFIELD AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR THE 2016-17 YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS ACADEMY

Young Entrepreneurs Academy is open to any students incoming to grades 6 – 12 who reside in Clark, Garwood, Mountainside, Westfield, Fanwood & Scotch Plains. For any interested students who do not reside in these six towns, applications are put on a waiting list and students are accepted on a first-come, first-serve basis depending on availability. The class is limited to 24 students. Class location TBA. Cost: applications submitted by September 30 – $495; Applications submitted after September 30 – $595For an application and more information including a video about the 2015-16 Westfield YEA class visit the Greater Westfield Area Chamber of commerce on line at www.gwaccnj.com. You can also email programmgr@yeawestfield.org.
The Young Entrepreneurs Academy, or YEA!, is a groundbreaking educational program that takes students in grades six through twelve through the process of starting and running real businesses over the course of a full academic year. Students work in close cooperation with local leaders of industry, community members, and educators to develop ideas and objectives, write business plans, pitch potential investors, obtain funding, register with governmental agencies, develop their brand identity and much more! By the end of the class, students own and operate fully functioning businesses that can be carried on after graduation. Students learn to make a job–not just take a job! YEA!’s direct mission is to help students embrace their passion, energy, creativity and talents, launch a venture, and view entrepreneurship as synonymous with success and freedom. In 2008, YEA! “spun-off” from the University of Rochester, where it was formed in 2004 with support from the Kauffman Foundation, to create its own not-for-profit corporation, YEA! Inc., which is currently launching sites in colleges, universities and high schools across the country to provide comprehensive, exciting entrepreneurship education, leadership development and innovation training to youth between the ages of 11 and 18 years old in the United States thereby making the program available to students at a variety of geographical regions, and providing them with skills they need to succeed in the 21st Century.
YEA! Fast Fact Snapshot:
• 100% of Academy Graduates Graduate High School on Time
• 99% of Academy Graduates Enroll in College
• 19% of YEA! Students Start Second Businesses
• 50% of YEA! Students Continue Business for More Than 1 Year
• 49% of YEA! Students are Female
• 56% of YEA! Students are Underrepresented Minorities
• YEA! Students have been awarded over a half million dollars in scholarships as a result of their involvement in YEA!
• 585 students have graduated from YEA! and have launched 416 enterprises.
• 7,300 business and community leaders have supported the students’ experiences as YEA! volunteers.
YEA! strengthens the community and the community strengthens YEA!. Students are able to network with and develop relationships with local business leaders, create jobs, and launch businesses in their own backyard. Students see that they can make a difference within the communities in which they live. The enthusiasm and success of the students are empowering for the entire community!