Houston County's future depends on our youth employment, while economic opportunities hinge upon a growing private sector. It is important to engage in public and private partnerships to train and prepare future business owners. Youth entrepreneurship is an essential strategy in Houston County. By educating youth about entrepreneurship, we are preparing them to become Houston County's most forward thinking and well-equipped business leaders.
Recognizing the need for a youth entrepreneurship program in Houston County, the Alabama Cooperative Extension System's Houston County office responded to a request for proposals for School-To-Career (STC) activities solicited by the Dothan Area Chamber of Commerce. The STC Local Partnership recognized the worth and potential of the program and has awarded funding to the program for the past two years. (The Local Partnership is the oversight committee for STC funds, for which the Dothan Area Chamber of Commerce is the fiscal agent. The Chamber in turn funded the program through a grant from the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs.) With this funding, the Houston County Cooperative Extension office implemented the 4-H Youth Entrepreneurship Program. The program goals were to provide youth with the opportunity to learn about entrepreneurship through classroom and practical experiences, to teach youth about the basic skills required of entrepreneurship, to help youth understand the relationship between academic subjects and the practical "World of Entrepreneurship", to develop leadership skills, and to assist young people in learning about organization and business-related skills applicable to many situations and needs. The program objectives were to increase economic literacy and freedom, to increase career opportunities and income, to increase self-esteem and leadership ability, to improve math, reading, and writing skills, to improve communication skills, to increase marketable work skills, to keep at-risk youth in school, to combat crime and teen pregnancies, to inspire the desire for higher education, and to give young people a sense of direction. Using the "Jump Start to Business" curriculum, the program has taught youth to recognize business opportunities in their neighborhoods, identify and develop their market scale talents and skills, write a three-page business plan, use business terms in conversation, create business cards and flyers, develop a sales talk and presentation, set up a business record keeping system, practice business etiquette, and know where to get future business information and advice. Extension has taken the 4-H Youth Entrepreneurship Program to the Dothan Housing Authority, Home School Organization, Dothan Boys and Girls Club, and a student at Cottonwood High School. The grant money has been used as start-up funds for a car wash business, the sale of hot chocolate mix, a Web page design business, a bread-making business, and a bee-keeping business. For each separate business, start-up funds are only provided once. The youth, with some adult assistance, are allowed and expected to make decisions that will hopefully keep the businesses operating. Everybody involved in the program would like to thank the Alabama Department of Economics and Community Affairs and the Dothan Area Chamber of Commerce for showing an interest in the program and graciously providing the monetary funds to keep the program in operation. If anyone is interested in the 4-H Youth Entrepreneurship Program, please contact Houston County Extension Agent Phillip Carter at (334) 794-4108.