Park Project Highlight
Business Program Targets Needy Teens
Issue date: 3/8/06 Section: Johnson News
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The following article appeared in the February 7th issue of the Ithaca Journal. It is being reprinted with permission from the editor.
Business Program Targets Needy Teens
At first, the children were restless. They fidgeted, spoke out of turn and chomped dripping squares of pizza. But when organizers of a new program for pre-teens started revealing why they'd gathered the kids at Northside Community Center Wednesday afternoon, things quieted down.
"Ya'll are gonna learn skills to have your own business, eventually," said Jenna Cooper, launching into an explanation of what "positive cash flow" means.
Kids between the ages of 10 and 13 who live in the Northside Housing Complex were invited to the information session on a pilot program the Ithaca Housing Authority, Greater Ithaca Activities Center and the Johnson School of Business at Cornell University are starting. Kids from GIAC, as well as Northside housing, will be participating.
Called the Pre-Teen Microentrepreneurship Program, it's a joint effort that organizers hope will equip needy kids with practical, business-oriented and basic financial skills. They'll be following a curriculum, designed specifically for that age group, called Making Cents.
Kristoff Pettaway, 13, attended Wednesday and indicated a head start in the way of future planning. "I want to be a landscapist," he said, to follow in the footsteps of an uncle. "I'm interested in starting my own business."
Cooper, who coordinates youth programs for GIAC, said she was inspired to deliver skills to kids that they can use throughout life. "You ask kids what they want to be when they grow up," she said. "And they say, 'An NBA star,' or 'A football player.' They don't have realistic goals."
As it happened, Matt Riis, the Ithaca Housing Authority's VISTA volunteer, was also interested in starting a financial literacy course for the kids he works with in Northside. The two got together to brainstorm, and decided to give the joint neighborhood pilot program a try. They've since received a $2,500 grant from M&T Bank, and $1,400 from the United Way, to help bankroll their efforts. The curriculum alone cost $800, Cooper said. Riis said he was often concerned that middle school-aged kids were barely interested in practical skills and basic financial knowledge. "But that's when they have to start," he said.
Business Program Targets Needy Teens
At first, the children were restless. They fidgeted, spoke out of turn and chomped dripping squares of pizza. But when organizers of a new program for pre-teens started revealing why they'd gathered the kids at Northside Community Center Wednesday afternoon, things quieted down.
"Ya'll are gonna learn skills to have your own business, eventually," said Jenna Cooper, launching into an explanation of what "positive cash flow" means.
Kids between the ages of 10 and 13 who live in the Northside Housing Complex were invited to the information session on a pilot program the Ithaca Housing Authority, Greater Ithaca Activities Center and the Johnson School of Business at Cornell University are starting. Kids from GIAC, as well as Northside housing, will be participating.
Called the Pre-Teen Microentrepreneurship Program, it's a joint effort that organizers hope will equip needy kids with practical, business-oriented and basic financial skills. They'll be following a curriculum, designed specifically for that age group, called Making Cents.
Kristoff Pettaway, 13, attended Wednesday and indicated a head start in the way of future planning. "I want to be a landscapist," he said, to follow in the footsteps of an uncle. "I'm interested in starting my own business."
Cooper, who coordinates youth programs for GIAC, said she was inspired to deliver skills to kids that they can use throughout life. "You ask kids what they want to be when they grow up," she said. "And they say, 'An NBA star,' or 'A football player.' They don't have realistic goals."
As it happened, Matt Riis, the Ithaca Housing Authority's VISTA volunteer, was also interested in starting a financial literacy course for the kids he works with in Northside. The two got together to brainstorm, and decided to give the joint neighborhood pilot program a try. They've since received a $2,500 grant from M&T Bank, and $1,400 from the United Way, to help bankroll their efforts. The curriculum alone cost $800, Cooper said. Riis said he was often concerned that middle school-aged kids were barely interested in practical skills and basic financial knowledge. "But that's when they have to start," he said.