Feature Story

December 3, 2008

Youth Entrepreneurship Strategy Group Publishes Action Guide for Policymakers

Aspen Institute:

The Aspen Institute Youth Entrepreneurship Strategy Group (YES GROUP) and The National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) launched the 'I Said Yes' campaign and released the nation’s first policymaker action guide on youth entrepreneurship education.

The guide was unveiled on Tuesday, November 18, 2008 during a Global Entrepreneurship Week YES GROUP Policy Briefing event at the Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, DC. The event, entitled We Say YES! To Youth Entrepreneurship Education in America's Schools: What Policymakers Can Do to Prepare Youth for the Market Economy, focused on bringing about change in how youth are educated and empowered.

The 'I Said Yes' campaign charges leaders to support youth entrepreneurship by raising awareness, taking policy action, and providing financial resources for programs.

The guide outlines the extent of the innovation challenge facing America's youth, especially those from low income communities and explains where and how Entrepreneurship Education can help engage children and teach critical skills. The guide was designed to help policymakers, education leaders and decision makers at the federal, state, and local levels understand youth entrepreneurship education and implement entrepreneurship in schools across the country.