- March 28, 2024
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The Young Entrepreneurs Academy, with eight locations in Florida and more than 100 nationwide in 37 states, will make its debut on the Gulf Coast later this year.
The academy, a pre-college program based in Rochester, N.Y., is a 21-week class for middle and high school students who are serious about a career in business and becoming entrepreneurs. Students develop their own business ideas, write business plans, conduct market research, launch companies and pitch their plans to investors during the semester. YEA classes in Sarasota, affiliated with the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce's Leadership Sarasota program, will be held at the State College of Florida-Lakewood Ranch campus. A pilot program of classes, held one day a week from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., begins this fall.
“This is about teaching people how to make a job, not take a job,” YEA founder and CEO Gayle Jagel tells Coffee Talk. “We want to help create a culture of innovation.”
The Young Entrepreneurs Academy was founded in 2004 at the University of Rochester, with support from the Kauffman Foundation, an entrepreneur-focused organization. The academy spun-off from the college campus in 2008 to launch a separate nonprofit, and has since served thousands of students nationwide, usually through partnerships and affiliations with local chambers of commerce. Other Florida locations are in Boca Raton, Fort Walton Beach, Orlando and Pensacola. Says Jagel: “We've created a process that works in any size community.”
A big part of YEA, say officials with the program and Sarasota Chamber, is the work with area executives who help teach the classes and mentor the students. “One of the most interesting components of the YEA program is the actual 'behind the scenes' knowledge that local business leaders are able to share with students,” Sarasota Chamber President Steve Queior says in a release.
While Junior Achievement, which sends business people into classrooms with an entrepreneurial-focused curriculum, is a natural comparison to YEA, Jagel says the academy goes much deeper.
Graduates leave with an actual business, and they also leave with a list of contacts and support. “We are delighted the Sarasota community has embraced this idea,” Jagel says.
An orientation session for students and parents on the YEA Sarasota program is scheduled for Jan. 29 at the State College of Florida-Lakewood Ranch campus. For more information on the session or program, call Barbara Hines at the chamber, at 941-556-4026.