Youngstown Business Incubator empowers Youngstown’s student entrepreneurs at Wick Park
This summer, the Youngstown Business Incubator’s Youth Entrepreneurship Program offered students at Wick Park a week of hands-on business education.
In partnership with the city of Youngstown’s Parks and Recreation Department, the week-long boot camp provided students with an introduction to entrepreneurship.
It culminated in Lemonade Day on Aug. 6, where participants sold their lemonade to the community.
Throughout the boot camp, students learned business fundamentals, including goal-setting, planning, branding, advertising, finances, budgeting, and loans. The interactive sessions were designed to encourage creativity and problem-solving while instilling an entrepreneurial mindset in the young participants.
“We believe in empowering the next generation with the skills they need to succeed,” said Megan, program director at YBI. “These students are incredibly talented, and it’s inspiring to see how they apply what they’ve learned to their businesses. Lemonade Day was the perfect way to celebrate their hard work and achievements.”
For the program, they created their own branded lemonade stands with unique themes and slogans. As they interacted with customers, they showcased the knowledge they had gained throughout the week, from pricing their lemonade to managing customer interactions.
In addition to learning about entrepreneurship, the students also gained practical experience in teamwork, problem-solving, and financial literacy. For many participants, the week-long boot camp was their first exposure to the business world. By the program’s end, they had developed entrepreneurial skills and gained confidence in turning their ideas into reality.
One of the young entrepreneurs, Julian, shared, “I never thought I could run a business, but now I know I can. I learned so much about how to make a plan and stick to it.”
As the program expands, YBI remains committed to fostering entrepreneurship among Youngstown’s youth. The success of the Wick Park boot camp and Lemonade Day highlights the importance of providing young people with the tools and opportunities they need to succeed in the future.
For more information about the Youth Entrepreneurship Program or to get involved, visit the YBI website.