Tanya's Story - A Thought Provoking Look at Youth Entrepreneurship In America

Youth entrepreneurship education in America. TANYA’S STORY

President Barack Obama The Audacity of Hope I believe in the free market, competition, and entrepreneurship. “ ”

Young people in low-income neighborhoods want the same things we all want.

To get a good education. To earn enough money to live well. To make their family proud.

The trouble is, very few have a clear path for how to get there. Worse, they might not feel like society expects them to succeed.

The Manhattan Institute drop out of high school. 50% of minority youth An estimated Did you know?

Civic Enterprises and The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to real-life. 81% dropped out if school was more relevant said they would not have Did you know?

What if high school were more relevant in preparing youth to make it in our economy?

1 in 5 youth live in poverty in America Did you know?

How would you define “poverty”?

In many American cities, poverty is defined as… Source: Federal Register, Vol. 73, No. 15, January 23, 2008, pp. 3971–3972. Poverty | noun A family of four living on $21,200 a year or less.

That’s just over $50 a day… … for a family of four .

$50 get you? What does

Four high school students received $50 each as an experiment.

Lena used her $50 to open a savings account.

Sarah took her friends to see a movie .

Maurice invested his $50 into mutual funds .

Tanya, who was in a NFTE entrepreneurship class. bought a dozen ties and scarves from a NYC wholesaler and launched a business.

So what was the return on each student’s $50 investment?

Lena earned about $1 interest from her savings account.

Sarah had fun at the movies, but had no money left after it.

Maurice’s mutual fund investment earned $4 .

Tanya sold enough ties and scarves to earn $148 dollars . She then re-invested $72 in thirty-six more scarves…

Something started shifting in Tanya’s brain.

Tanya had worked part-time at a music store earning $140 a week . She wondered if she could make even more with her business.

Perhaps she could make enough money to help her mother afford the computer class she needs to get a better job ?

I always thought business was for older people, wealthier people… But now I know that I can run my own business . “ ” Tanya, Entrepreneur

Tanya got excited about more than just running her own business. her potential. She got excited about

Today, Tanya is a member of the Babson College class of 2011, on a $200,000 scholarship.

By investing in herself Tanya felt more confident and in control of her future . This is a story about the power of ownership.

The door to infinite possibilities was opened, changing Tanya’s life forever.

For the United States to survive and continue its economic and political leadership in the world, we must see entrepreneurship as our central comparative advantage . Nothing else can give us the necessary leverage to remain an economic superpower. “ ” Carl J. Schramm The Entrepreneurial Imperative: How America’s Economic Miracle Will Shape the World (And Change Your Life); New York: HarperCollins, 2006

“ I am calling on our nation's Governors and state education chiefs to develop standards and assessments that don't simply measure whether students can fill in a bubble on a test, but whether they possess 21st century skills like problem-solving and critical thinking, entrepreneurship and creativity President Barack Obama Education Speech, March 2009 ”

“ Not every young person wants to work for a big business so we need a systemic approach to teach them entrepreneurship. NFTE has the best program in the country. Arne Duncan United States Secretary of Education ”