We live in a world of innovation and new ideas. Technology is constantly evolving and soaring to new heights. There is a world of possibilities that awaits our children, but are they prepared to seize these new ventures when they come? As forward-thinking as our society has become, the educational programs and practices of K-12 schools have many times remained stagnant. As a result, our future generations are often not equipped to be the innovators, creative thinkers, and movers and shakers that this modern civilization needs.
It All Starts with Lemonade
Most of us can remember running our own lemonade stands in the heat of summer when we were kids. The excitement of organizing our own business and earning our own money for the first time was empowering. This enterprising spirit of elementary-aged children, however, dramatically declines by the time they graduate from high school.
A recent article on Entrepreneur.com promotes the creation of entrepreneurship programs in the classroom as a way of “inspiring young people to create the companies that will provide long-lasting employment for the country’s citizens.” This article observes that students should “graduate high school ‘innovation ready’—meaning that along with their mortarboards, they receive the critical-thinking, communication and collaboration skills that will help them invent their own careers.” 
A Risk-Taking Spirit
In fact, some of the most profound benefits of youth entrepreneurship programs like VentureLab are the lessons they teach. Entrepreneurship nurtures and promotes a risk-taking spirit, where children aren’t afraid to fail. Instead, they are encouraged to use “mistakes” and “failures” as learning tools to be the building blocks on their journey to success. Youth entrepreneurship programs don’t exist just to develop the world’s next generation of business leaders. While many entrepreneurship students do, in fact, go on to start their own companies, that’s not the focal point of these programs by any means. In fact, the biggest benefits of youth entrepreneurship programs are the lessons they teach—encouraging students to think creatively and ambitiously as they work to achieve their dreams and goals. Entrepreneurship embraces everyone’s unique talents and abilities, whether they are bent toward being an engineer, an artist, a teacher, a business owner, or anything in-between. In the world of entrepreneurship, the sky truly is the limit.
Instilling Confidence
Entrepreneurial education is also extremely effective at instilling confidence in young girls. They learn that they are capable of tackling large problems and turning their ideas into a reality. Girls blossom in the classroom as their self-esteem is reinforced through the creative use of their skills and abilities. They are no longer afraid to stand up and speak up.
At VentureLab, we are committed to providing programs and tools to bring entrepreneurship education into your school, home, or outreach. We teach the fun and fundamentals of entrepreneurship to kids–K-12. We’ve proven that early entrepreneurial learning turns on the best in kids: it unlocks their true confidence, creativity, and motivation, and it helps them discover that failure often leads to success. This vision for the future of our youth is what inspired Cristal Glanchai to begin VentureLab.
“We have to teach kids—and girls in particular—at a young age, before they have preconceived notions of what girls or boys SHOULD do. I want to teach them at a young age to have confidence that they can create things, and yes, even create their own company. I want to teach them to have the courage to get in front of an audience and show their accomplishments.” —Cristal Glangchai, Founder of VentureLab
We aim to empower young people to create, innovate, and become the next generation of leaders and entrepreneurs. To learn more about our passion for entrepreneurship education and VentureLab’s forthcoming free and open-source entrepreneurship curriculum, please visit our website.
