Business Camp Inspires Youth Entrepreneurs
MERIDIAN – “I will still dive into becoming an entrepreneur,” said Eric Scott, a sophomore at Meridian High School. He and 90 junior and senior high school students from the WAEM Region attended Meridian Community College’s Youth Entrepreneur Business Camp.
“I really enjoyed the camp and would highly recommend others to attend,” said James McElroy, a senior at Meridian High School. “I learned the things that are important to becoming a successful entrepreneur, especially finding out about financial resources and the wants and needs of your customer. This camp was marketing and business at its finest.”
The Youth Entrepreneur Business Camp was sponsored by the West Alabama – East Mississippi (WAEM) Initiative and Meridian Community College. It sought to inspire the young people to embrace innovation, imagination, and creativity. Students came from schools in Livingston and Sumter County, Alabama, and Meridian and Clarkdale in Mississippi.
The concept for the camp was developed for Global Entrepreneurship Week by Phyllis Dean, an intern for The Montgomery Institute and student at Mississippi University. Students boarded a ‘Dream Train.’ It made “stops” at locations along the entrepreneurial path…developing a business idea, writing a business plan, setting up financing, etc. A “Dream Team” of expert facilitators provided key directions to assist students in navigating the path to success.
High school students from the WAEM Region listen to opening remarks at the Youth Entrepreneur Business Camp at Meridian Community College.
Future BBQ Restaurant owner Miquel Salazar, a sophomore at Clarkdale High School, learned it was important “to make a plan, otherwise bad things could happen…such as ruining my credit. A plan is important become it prepares you for opening your business and knowing who you are selling your products to.” Salazar learned about the business camp through his accounting class. “I realized taking accounting would help to ensure personal stability in opening a business and knowing accounting is very important,” he said. Salazar plans to attend college after high school and major in accounting. His dream is to open his restaurant in 10 years.
Students were inspired to think “outside the box;” to identify their strengths, interests/hobbies and areas of expertise; and to translate those into business concepts.
“We want them to understand that they don’t have to wait until they ‘grow up’ to think about owning their own business,” said Victoria Liddell, MCC’s WAEM Community Development Facilitator.
In conjunction with the business camp, a job fair was also held. Members from the School Counts program with the East Mississippi Business Development Corporation along with the State Director for Mississippi Registered Apprenticeship program were invited to the job fair.
