The Rotary Club of Austin-Southwest is partnering with the locally initiated “Start Up Kid’s Club” with a $5000 grant and by providing member volunteers to mentor in the afterschool program for budding entrepreneurs.
“Start Up Kid’s Club” is an innovative, hands on youth entrepreneurship program in which students are empowered to bring their creative ideas to life with support from local community experts and “grown up” entrepreneurs. The long-range focus is to build career skills students need to succeed in life beyond the classroom. The program is geared towards students who are elementary school age through high school.
Rotary Club of Austin-Southwest members’ knowledge of the business world provides insight to mentor as the SKC teachers present their curriculum on such topics as Branding, Business Plans, Cost Analysis/Profit & Loss, Market Research, Business Development and Marketing. The kids develop a product they feel is marketable and work over the fall and then again in the spring to produce the product so they can sell it at the SKC Fall Market and the Spring Market (April 5) at the Republic Square in downtown Austin.
AND ROTARIANS! Not only have we helped support scholarships so that all kids have equal access to this life changing program and assisted in mentoring, we have a new member, Kaelin Herrerra, who is a SKC teacher. She became interested in Rotary as she met club members who came to her afterschool classes at Boone Elementary.
It has been a WIN-WIN for both our club and “Start Up Kid’s Club”!
Please mark your calendars for Sunday April 5, 1-4pm, Republic Square and come see what these young entrepreneurs have developed, and they will be set up to sell.
Stan Barnes, our president-elect, visited the SKC Fall Market and said, “I was impressed that the kids and their parents welcomed questions about the creation of the products and where the ideas originated.” Stan laughed and said, “They actually enjoyed being challenged with “…is that your best deal?...” I could not resist saying, “That guy over there made me a ‘buy 3 and save $5 deal. Can you do that?...”The kids rose to the occasion in the art of the deal. It was fun to see them bartering. “ Stan beams and added, “Start Up Kid’s Club is amazing!”