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Overview
The BizVenture Series is an award-winning 10-month "business adventure" of on-line and place-based contests, events, workshops, and activities created by YES that helps teens and young adults in our rural 30-town Western and North Central Massachusetts region explore business and entrepreneurship as a better way of making a living, making a life, and changing the world for the better.

The Vision
By creating a comprehensive pipeline to educate, develop, and support business owners and entrepreneurs, beginning at early adolescence, that also provides training in ethics, social responsibility, and ecological wisdom, we will enjoy an economy that produces a happier, healthier, more peaceful, and more prosperous society.

The Model
The framework for BizVenture is modeled on our nation's successful, time-tested pipeline that prepares youth for a lifetime of sport involvement as athletes, coaches, fans, media professionals, business owners, and more. These programs begin at childhood; offer developmentally appropriate experiences; provide informal, non-formal, and formal training; supply equipment and resources; bestow recognition and rewards; and utilize resources embedded within every community, including parents, neighbors, volunteers, teachers, coaches, business owners, and members of civic organizations.

The Series

• BizTour (interactive school assemblies and lunch tabling)
  
• BizQuiz (a 40-question self-assessment of business attitudes, knowledge, and readiness)
  
• BizIdea (a business idea contest)
  
• BizPlan (a business plan contest)
  
• BizWiz (after-school and Saturday business workshops)
  
• BizAwards (a contest finale and celebration)
  
• SummerBiz/BizLaunch (incubation of business ideas/plans or simple odd jobs ventures)

The Basis

• 12 years' experience providing entrepreneurship and business education to over 2,500 youth and over 100 trainers.
  
• External evaluations and regional strategic plans, such as the Northern Tier Initiative and SDAT.
  
• an SBA-funded regional needs assessment conducted by YES.
  
• research of best practices in youth entrepreneurship education worldwide.
  
• an organizing committee of volunteers representing town government, schools, youth organizations, parents, business leaders, and youth.
  
• 13 years partnering with NFTE (Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship), the world's leading youth entrepreneurship teacher training, certification and curriculum-development organization.

Please Help us "Pay it Forward" by supporting BizVenture
YES piloted the BizVenture Series with 44 youth in the 9 rural North Quabbin towns over the first half of 2010 on a locally-raised cash budget of just $6,000 and in-kind volunteer support from Governor Deval Patrick's Commonwealth Corps program. The "new, improved, expanded" Series 2, launched 12/1/10, is now serving youth in 30 towns. To ensure its success and further refine the model for wider replication, we are relying on the generous financial and in-kind support of companies, organizations, and individuals who share our vision by paying it forward today to help young people learn to grow the economy of the future. Please consider joining us as a

Gold Sponsor $1,000 and up
Silver Sponsor $750
Bronze Sponsor $500
Business Sponsor $250
Community Sponsor $100
Friend $1-$99

All gifts are tax-deductible as a charitable donation or as a business advertising expense. Contact us for sponsorship benefit details. Gifts will be acknowledged by mail/email and recognized on our websites, at program facilities, and events, and in our media releases.