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YES WE CAN
YESCarolina brings a business mentality to the classroom
 
YesCarolina west of stacia bammerman
The young entrepreneuers of the 2009 YESCarolina summer program take a break from their business planning at St. Andrews Middle School
 
By Stacia Bannerman
Contributing Writer
 
 
When Jimmy Bailey presents possibilities for summer camp, he’s talking about ideas that are leaps and bounds beyond the traditional camps offered at most recreation centers. As the founder of YESCarolina, Bailey has brought curriculum developed by the National Foundation of Entrepreneurship to Charleston and is training teachers and educating students of various socio-economic backgrounds to enhance their economic productivity by improving their business, academic, and life skills.
 
“Once the kids learn the process of a business plan, it will stay with them for life,” says Bailey. “It’s the same process and business plan that million dollar companies use.”
 
Through private funding, YESCarolina has been able to provide free training using the National Foundation of Entrepreneurship materials to 41 teachers in the Tri-county area. The course qualifies as a three-hour continuing education credit, and provides them with the tools necessary to implement the training into their school year curriculum.
 
Last summer, YESCarolina organized seven experimental summer camps around the state as an extra opportunity for teachers and students to work with business plans. The camps are 12 days long, three-and-half hours a day. According to Bailey, they were successful and this year there are 19 camps around the state, all focusing on making children use their streetwise talents and turn them into business smart.
 
Participating in the summer camps are West Ashly Middle, St. Andrew's Middle, and James Island Middle schools. During the school year, the school principals choose the kids they feel would benefit from the camps. The selection is broad, but is based on the selection of 15 kids with various personalities that have a natural creative ability not developed enough in the classroom. Bailey focuses on the middle school age group for this curriculum. “Kids are very creative and have a natural talent that can get stifled in high school,” he says.
 
To participate in camp, the students are asked to create a business that can be achieved for $250 or less and within realistic reach for lower income maintenance. Throughout the camp they developed the plan, created goals, thwarted obstacles, and will possibly put the plan into action. On the last day of camp every student presented their plan to a panel of five judges chosen by the teachers, and an award for first, second, and third place is given. Each award is seed money to encourage the students to continue with their business plans.
 
YESCarolina hopes that soon every school will take the initiative to train and implement the National Foundation of Entrepreneurs curriculum. “Contact the principal of the school and ask, ‘Do we have this available?’ If not what can we do to make it available?,” says Bailey.
 
The program focuses on numerous types of businesses, but one key factor is acting upon opportunity recognition. Bailey says this is just putting order and a plan to thinking based on street-smarts.