Volume 17, Number 1, Fall 2006

BE THE “E”!

Working To Teach Entrepreneurism in the Upper Peninsula!

Sandra Kao

The way Marquette County MSU Extension educator Nicole Dewald sees it, entrepreneurism is a necessary way of life in the UP and it should be encouraged and taught to youth.

“Entrepreneurism is more than business, it’s a way of life,” says Dewald. “That’s the way the 21st century is going. New ideas and innovation are valued by employers and important to our competitiveness in the economy. In the UP, entrepreneurism is a major goal. There aren’t as many jobs here, and many residents supplement their income with a business in their home, whether it’s selling maple syrup or renting out cottages. Many people don’t have a regular nine to five job they can rely on.”

To encourage entrepreneurism in the UP, Dewald and others are working to promote the new Be the “E” entrepreneurship curriculum guide, a 4-HCCS entrepreneurship activity guide designed for middle and high school students. Currently, the guide is being shared with school educators for consideration as components that can be taught during units on economics and entrepreneurism.

In April, Dewald conducted a full workshop using one lesson from Be the “E” at the Upper Peninsula Leadermete in Big Bay. She taught the “Can I Make the Best Better?” chapter, covering marketing, invention and innovation. Dewald likes this lesson because it introduces a relatively new type of entrepreneurism called “intrapreneurism.”

“In the 21st century now, organizations and companies want the ‘intrapreneurial’ way of thinking. It’s entrepreneurial thinking within an organization or company where you come up with an innovative idea and see it to the end,” Dewald says.

When she taught the lesson to adults, it stimulated much discussion about researching and creating a business plan. “I tried to spark their energy and get them going,” Dewald says.
When she taught the lesson to 4-H youth, Dewald pointed out that they are already being entrepreneurial when they do things like sell livestock or crafts at the fair. Entrepreneurism is not an unfamiliar concept to them, she says.

The Be the “E” Entrepreneurship activity guide presents three levels of entrepreneurial activities for youth: Love it!, Plan it! and Do it! The guide has been recognized as “the most comprehensive student guide for entrepreneurship” by Meagan Prall, an associate at the Northern Michigan University Center for Economic Education and Entrepreneurship.

“It captures and inspires the passion of the entrepreneur, stresses the importance of business planning, and encourages the strategic risk taking of the entrepreneur on a solid marketplace economics foundation,” Prall said.

Money management plays a big role in entrepreneurism, too. The youth need to have a financial background and understand cash flows so that if they have a dream, they can make it financially possible, Dewald points out.

Dewald thinks Be the “E” is good for teaching entrepreneurism because it breaks things down for the youth and uses relevant terminology. She hopes teachers will use parts from the guide and implement it into school lessons. Other possibilities are to teach Be the “E” at workshops on marketplace economics and entrepreneurism during youth leadership conferences or implement the guide as a six- to eight-week program.

No matter what, Dewald says, integrating the curriculum needs to be a partnership between 4‑H, non-profit organizations and schools.

“A lot of entrepreneurism is experiential learning which is the basis of 4-H,” Dewald says. “If the goal as we’ve identified it is ‘to help create a sustainable economic and financial future for Marquette County residents,’ then we should teach our kids about entrepreneurism using this excellent guide.”