Forums: Discussions for entrepreneurs and small business.

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Warm Regards,
Cherie

Quality accessories for you and baby, made in USA
Studio Cherie

You might be able to find some good insights at the National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship at:
http://www.nfte.com/

I`ve volunteered before, but have always been given a specific topic to discuss, such as "How do you determine price", or "How important is public speaking"

I`d avoid using any numbers at all, when speaking with HS students. Instead, use word-pictures, and short "sound byte" concepts.

I`ve been using a formula that past number of years that seems to be holding pretty true. At 56, I look back at how people my age thought when we were in high school. I`m amazed at how different things are today. So I add 5 years to today`s kids, in terms of how they "ought to be" thinking.

For example, when I see a 17yo today, they`re thinking and processing at what I learned would`ve been a 12yo mind when I was growing up. Likewise, they won`t be able to understand concepts we learned at 17 until they`re about 23.

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Warm Regards,
Cherie

Quality accessories for you and baby, made in USA
Studio Cherie

If you`re speaking in front of the young HS students for business development, then fine, bring resources (listed on a handout paper). But for a general audience made up of HS students, I`d tend to keep your talk in line with what they`re used to---TV shows, podcasts, short blog entries, and that kind of thing.

Of all the things you can do, I think, simply giving real-life examples of how you had an idea, tried it out, *got discouraged* then kept going anyway, and eventually achieved success---that`s probably what they can handle and process.

Look at this Obama thing going on, where he has no substance at all, but young people are flocking to the bus. Then consider the number of teen suicides, on the increase. A few decades ago, kids were satisfied to just kill themselves in order to make a statement. So few people paid attention, they now have to kill themselves and a bunch of other kids too.

All this, to my thinking, points up the end results of nearly a century of narcissism, where young people "feel" (operative word) that they don`t exist anymore. Adults don`t talk their language, don`t explain things in ways that make sense to them, and they feel they`re just wasted resources. It`s ironic, because our educational system is purportedly designed to increase "self-esteem."

Talk to this kids on a peer level, assuming they can think but haven`t yet been taught how to do so. Show them how "trial and error" is a legitimate way of invention, development, and creativity. You could put a page of "Good Books to Read" in a stack near the exits, and let whomever wants those resources pick them up at their choice.

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Warm Regards,
Cherie

Quality accessories for you and baby, made in USA
Studio Cherie