Page 160 - 1-Entrepreneurship and Local Economic Development by Norman Walzer (z-lib.org)

The Difference Makers: Entrepreneurial Young People 149

One way to help entrepreneurial youth develop these attributes is by cre-
ating a supportive community environment for learning and application in
real-world settings. Consider several key elements to engage and support
entrepreneurial young people within the context of a community-based
youth engagement system.

YOUTH ENGAGEMENT SYSTEM

A youth engagement system is a comprehensive strategy that intercon-
nects education, real-world experience and community support. This sys-
tem seeks out and engages entrepreneurial youth, equips them to succeed,
and supports their enterprising ventures as they mature into adulthood.
For a moment, consider the roles that schools, the community, and adult
mentors can play in creating a system for supporting youth entrepre-
neurship.

Schools
As was stressed earlier, making education relevant to young entrepreneurs
is important to their academic success and preparation for adulthood. An
essential element in this work is entrepreneurship education.
Ideally, entrepreneurial concepts should be integrated into the curricu-
lum from elementary school to postsecondary education (Rasheed and
Rasheed 2003). Starting early is important because young entrepreneurs be-
gin expressing their traits at a very young age. Waiting until the junior or
senior year of high school may be too late for these students. Either they
will try to figure things out on their own, and in the process take their fo-
cus off school, or they will give up and go into the mainstream path of tak-
ing college prep classes, hoping to find a job that allows them to use their
creative entrepreneurial talents. College may indeed be the proper path for
a young entrepreneur, but it should enhance their entrepreneurial develop-
ment, not be a substitute because alternatives are not available.
On a practical level, making products to sell in kindergarten, learning
about local entrepreneurs in elementary school, and offering entrepreneur-
ship programs in junior high and high school are ways to enhance the K–12
curriculum for entrepreneurial youth.
The Consortium for Entrepreneurship Education is an excellent resource
2
for identifying and evaluating curricula available. In addition, the Rural
3
School and Community Trust has extensive research on communities and
schools working together to enhance place-based education. They provide
tools and best practices to help schools and communities work together to
engage students and enhance education.