Entrepreneurship Education
Our Entrepreneurship Education experiences bring innovation directly to elementary, middle, and high school students across Kalamazoo County. Through engaging curriculum, hands-on programs, targeted training, and meaningful networking opportunities, we introduce students to an entrepreneurial mindset and connect them to real community possibilities. Learners engage in quick, creative challenges that strengthen problem-solving skills and guide them through the design-thinking process, identifying problems, developing solutions, and presenting their ideas to classroom and real-world audiences. For our youngest entrepreneurs, Lemonade Day adds a dynamic, community-centered experience where students plan, launch, and manage their own business. Together, these experiences build confidence in creativity, teamwork, leadership, and business thinking while opening doors to future academic and career opportunities.
To book experiences or to request additional information, please contact your school's Career Development Consultant or Jeni Opel.
Educator Supports & Resources
High School & Middle School:
Entrepreneurial Mindset Workshop
This one class period workshop provides activities to practice entrepreneurial mindsets for learners 9-12th grade.
Learners will:
-
Identify Entrepreneurial Mindset
- Complete a series of different problem solving activities
- Collaborate and communicate solutions
- Reflect how these activities can help them be creative and innovative in any career they pursue.
This unit and experience guides the innovative solutions to a learner identified problem and applies design thinking in the creation and presentation of an idea, product, or service.
Learners will:
- Identify a problem using empathy and self-awareness strategies.
- Design a solution using design thinking, considering constraints and target market.
- Create a plan for marketing their product/service solution.
- Persuasively present their solutions.
Elementary:
Lemonade Day is a fun, experiential program that teaches youth how to start, own, and operate their very own business - a lemonade stand!
Learners will:
- Be introduced to an entrepreneurial mindset
- Engage and have fun in a project-based experience
- Discover personal strengths and interests
- Learn about goal setting, developing a business plan, and financial literacy
