MEDIA ADVISORY, Nov. 15, 2004 (PRIMEZONE) --
WHO: More than 600 teen student entrepreneurs from nearly 20 schools in Boston, Washington, D.C., Maryland and New York will travel in an 18-bus caravan to NYC's Wholesale District on November 19, 2004 to purchase materials for their new business ventures. In the entrepreneurial spirit of "Buy Low, Sell High" the students will be turning the raw materials into finished products which they will then sell through their new enterprises.
WHAT: The Junior and High School students and their teachers are all participants in a youth entrepreneurship education program sponsored by the National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE), an international organization that teaches entrepreneurship to mostly low-income students to enhance their economic productivity by improving their business, academic, and life skills. Through NFTE's program the students turn business plans that they research and develop into actual small businesses in which they later compete in the spring for the title of NFTE Young Entrepreneur of the Year.
WHY: Interest among young people in owning and operating a small business is growing. A series of Gallup Polls found that nearly seven out of 10 youth (aged 14-19) were interested in becoming entrepreneurs. Additionally, four out of ten kids ages 9-12 (tweens) say they would like to start their own business.
There is compelling new evidence from researchers at Harvard University that indicates that young people who learn about entrepreneurship develop a "success" orientation and are more likely to be focused on becoming professionals and entering the workforce. Brandeis University research shows participation in NFTE programs increased business knowledge by 20 times and business formation rates by 30 times.
WHEN: November 19, 2004, from Noon to 4:30 p.m.
WHERE: NYC Wholesale District, Broadway and 30th Street
MEDIA OPPORTUNITY: Students, teachers and Steve Mariotti, Founder and President of NFTE, will be available for photos and interviews.