Girls Inc. of Orange County’s Youth Empowerment and Self-Sufficiency (YESS) Entrepreneurship Academy is back at Chapman University and is currently recruiting girls currently enrolled in grades 3 to 5 to participate in a summer camp focused on developing business and leadership skills.

Girls Inc. YESS Entrepreneurship Academy participants prepare to sell smoothies in their marketplace

YESS Entrepreneurship Academy has been one of the organization’s most popular summer programs for over 20 years, and Chapman University is proud to host this year’s program again at the Leatherby Center for Entrepreneurship, a program of the Argyros School of Business and Economics.

Participants in the program learn leadership, economic literacy, and business skills by creating their own mini-society and launching their own businesses from the ground up. They elect officers, form a business plan, develop products and marketing materials, learn about profit margins and execute customer service strategies.

Girls also have the opportunity to experience additional structured Girls Inc. programs (STEM, personal safety, health & wellness) and elective activities (arts, dance, cooking, sports, computers), all in a fun and hands-on environment. Each Friday, field trips are included in the program that will help girls meet real-life entrepreneurs and learn more about what it takes to run their own business.

Supporters shop for homemade goods made by YESS participants

The summer camp concludes with an open house where supporters from the City of Orange and beyond can shop for the girls’ products and services at their storefronts, giving them an opportunity to implement their leanings in real time.

YESS Entrepreneurship Academy 2018 will run Monday through Friday, July 9 through August 3,  from 7:30 a.m. to  6:00 p.m. Register now!

For questions about the YESS Entrepreneurship Academy, please contact Kelli McIntosh, Elementary Program Manager, at kmcintosh@girlsinc-oc.org or (714) 597-8611.