The Grand Junction Area Chamber of Commerce is currently looking for middle and high school students who have a passion for ideas and creativity, for the Young Entrepreneurs Academy, (YEA!). The program is entering its seventh year, after helping over 70 students launch their own businesses.
YEA! is a 28-week academic program, meeting from early October to May, for three hours weekly, with the exception of during school breaks and holiday recess. During the course of the program, students will create their own business plan, pitch that business plan, and then unveil their business at a trade show. Students will develop the necessary skills, from hands-on entrepreneurial experience, to launching 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 business!
With only 15 days left to apply, recruitment for this year’s class of YEA! students is in full swing! The Chamber is asking all members to think about the young people they know…babysitters, seasonal employees, friends of their children…or even their own children or grandchildren who would benefit with the leg up in this unique training/mentoring program?
To apply for the Young Entrepreneurs Academy, students must:
• Fill out the YEA! Student Application, which can be found here
• Complete the essay and the short answer questions
• Submit their transcripts
• Submit a letter of recommendation
Once the completed application packet is 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.
Class size is limited to a max of 10 students and spots are filling up fast! If you know a student who you think would excel in this program contact Darcy Weir at darcy@gjchamber.org or 970-263-2916.
Of course, the Chamber could not put on this amazing program alone, and we are extremely grateful to the many workforce partners, financial sponsors, and business volunteers that make this dynamic and powerful opportunity available to youth in our community.
We wish to thank our program partners Western Colorado Community College and Mesa County Valley School District 51.
We could not do this without our program sponsors.
They include:
Presenting Sponsor: City of Grand Junction.
Premier Sponsors: Home Loan Insurance, Mesa County Valley School District 51, and the Mesa County Workforce Center.
Scholarship Sponsors: JGMS, Merrill Lynch, Fisher’s Market, U.S. Bank, and Western Rockies Federal Credit Union.
Investor Panel Sponsors: Alpine Bank, Bank of Colorado, Mesa County Business Education Foundation, ProVelocity, and Western Metals Recycling.