YEA! Teaches Young Tacomans Entrepreneurial Skills

Last week we wrote about the new 1 Million Cups Tacoma program, which hosts weekly meetings with the goal of strengthening the entrepreneurial community in Tacoma. 1 Million Cups was launched the Kauffman Foundation, as was another new-ish program in Tacoma, the Young Entrepreneurs Academy. YEA! focuses on the next generation of potential entrepreneurs, giving support and teaching skills to cohorts of Tacoma students between ages 11 and 18. 

The Young Entrepreneurs Academy or YEA!, is a groundbreaking educational program that takes students in grades six through twelve through the process of starting and running real businesses over the course of a full academic year. Students work in close cooperation with local leaders of industry, community members, and educators to develop ideas and objectives, write business plans, pitch potential investors, obtain funding, register with governmental agencies, develop their brand identity and much more! By the end of the class, students own and operate fully functioning businesses that can be carried on after graduation. Students learn to make a job--not just take a job! 

In Tacoma the YEA! is a program of the Tacoma Pierce County Chamber, which just graduated its first YEA! class, and is accepting applications for next year's program.

Who knows, maybe one of these YEA! students will start the next big thing.