Have you asked a middle schooler what they want to be when they grow up? You will probably get the typical responses of athlete, influencer, or gamer. There is nothing wrong with these answers but, as parents and educators who care about our youth, we know there is so much more!
In conjunction with the Missouri AfterSchool Network CAPSA (Career Awareness and Post-Secondary Access) Initiative, MASN and VentureLab will host a Middle School Student Leadership Summit on September 20, 2022, from 9:30 to 2:30 at Missouri University of Science and Technology in Rolla. During the summit, participating youth will workshop with VentureLab to foster creative and innovative thinking around career opportunities as they practice their networking and professional communication. Students will move beyond the typical responses to “I want to be a ______ when I grow up.” With VentureLab’s Career Exploration and Innovation approach, youth grow their entrepreneurial mindsets and skills as they apply their passions and strengths to identify opportunities to discover, research, and innovate a career.
Entrepreneurship is more than starting a business, it is a way of thinking and acting. It is about having the courage to take risks and identifying opportunities to apply creative problem solving that creates value for others. These entrepreneurial skills are employability skills. The earlier we give youth a variety of experience to practice and grow them, the greater chance of success they will have in their current and future situations.
Participating Programs will gain access to the curriculum offered by VentureLab, monthly Peer Learning Community (PLC) meetings, check-ins with VentureLab and additional resources all completely FREE. Space is limited to 75 students so register as soon as possible with this link.
Feel free to download a sample of the curriculum and VentureLab’s information page as well. If you have any questions, please contact Aaron Banks, CAPSA & Entrepreneurship Coordinator, at abanks@missouri.edu.
WE CAN’T WAIT TO SEE YOU!
