This upcoming fall will be the 11th year of our local YEA! program here at the Grand Junction Area Chamber of Commerce. We are recruiting middle and high school students who are looking to build valuable life skills for their futures!
YEA! is a 26-week academic program that will be meeting starting in early October until May. The class meets weekly every Tuesday from 4:00 to 7:00 PM, with the exception of during school breaks and holiday recesses. During the course of the program, students will create their own business plan, pitch their business plan, and then unveil their business at a trade show. Students in this program will develop the necessary skills, from hands-on entrepreneurial experience, to launch their own business or social movement, while also becoming more confident in their ideas and abilities. Each step of the way, students will be working with prominent business leaders from throughout the community, learning, and networking with those who know the ins and outs of the business world best. By the time the students graduate in May, they will be the CEOs of their very own businesses!
Last year, we had a total of 8 graduates from the program which yielded the start of 8 new businesses. To date, the YEA! program has created 80+ new businesses in our community. Applications for this year’s class are now open! We are asking you to think about who would benefit from the “leg up” in this unique training and mentoring program.
Here is how to apply for this year’s class:
- Fill out the YEA! Student Application, which can be found at www.yeausa.org
- Complete the essay and the short answer questions
- Submit their transcripts
- Submit a letter of recommendation
Once the completed application packet has been received, students will be asked to sit for an interview with members of the CareerLink Committee. Acceptance in the program is based on all aspects of an application, as well as the personal interview.
The deadline to sign up will be September 15th. If you have any questions about the application, please reach out to David Proctor at david@gjchamber.org.