Elementary students through YouthQuest have begun participating in the YQ Biz My Town program, a curriculum teaching entrepreneurialism and financial literacy.
“We are excited to have launched our YQ Biz program,” says Leslie Davis, program director of afterschool education for Flint & Genesee Education & Talent. “Our students are learning about profit and cost, production, how to build a business plan and how to work a job, all while being able to express their creativity and have fun.”
Through the program, students will work for a singular business creating products, learning about how a business runs and preparing to do specific tasks for their business. After those lessons, students will participate in prep days and “biz” days. During business days, students will split into two shifts – one shift will run the business while another shift acts as the customers. Students who are customers will be able to purchase goods from the business using YQ Bucks, which are earned during program for a variety of things including good behavior and participation.
Aria Phifer, a second-grade student at Flint Cultural Center Academy, is excited to be part of the program. The thing she is looking forward to most is the YQ Biz days where she will be able to shop at the store. In the meantime, she is learning what she needs to be prepared for their first biz day.
“So far, I have been learning about the money and all of that,” says Phifer. “I have learned how to deal with money and how to start a business. I am not so good yet, but I am still learning.”
Another student at Flint Cultural Center Academy, fourth-grader Malachi Flanders has been learning about teamwork and how to produce the product they plan to sell.
“My favorite part has been learning how to make ice cream,” says Flanders. “I learned that you can’t put too much sugar or too little sugar in it.”
Through the program, students are having fun while learning valuable skills. The program will culminate in a YQ Biz Elementary event on May 5 at the Dort Financial Center. At the event, students will be able to put what they learned into practice, spending money on a variety of activities and services. The event will also allow students to celebrate their achievements in the program with character meet-and-greets, inflatable activities, a petting zoo and games.
YouthQuest is made possible through the generous support of the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation and 21st Century Community Learning Centers.