Help Our SEEDS Blossom This Summer by Becoming a Mentor!
Having a mentor is a significant advantage and it can often make the difference between an entrepreneur giving up and them reaching their full potential.
— Youth Business International
Our SEEDS Youth Entrepreneurship Program allows students to tackle real-world business problems and engage in a mentorship program with leaders in business from on and off the island. We are happy to share that the program has resumed over the summer as of Thursday, June 4th. Due to the COVID19 pandemic, our students had not been able to meet for their SEEDS program classes. In the midst of these difficult times, our team tended to the families of our youth and their needs for food through our Meals and SEEDS initiative.
When our program nearly came to a halt, we decided to survey our SEEDS participants and determine the best possible way to continue the program virtually. In recognizing the importance of this STEAM-based entrepreneurship education program for the youth of Puerto Rico we decided to collect as much data as possible to get a sense of the best way to move forward.
After analyzing survey results, we found that 94% of respondents answered “YES” in regards to their interest in continuing the SEEDS program during the summer, via online and distance learning. We also noted that 94% of respondents reported having access to a smartphone and a little over two-thirds of the respondents reported having internet access in their homes.
SEEDs Zoom Pitch Session From Last Week
This analysis was key for us to see how many of those interested in continuing the program virtually would have the resources to participate. Fortunately, with this new insight, we could relaunch and resume the SEEDS program more efficiently.
One of our students, Dara Ponce, wanted us to share her excitement for the SEEDS program resuming:
Dara, an eleven-year-old entrepreneur, is the founder of Recycle, Play, and Share. Through the SEEDS program, she was able to learn how to start her own business and create educational games using recycled and used materials.
In order to assist students like Dara, we are reaching out to you to lend a hand by providing coaching to help complete their project. To be a mentor you must be available on July 9th & 16th. Our program coordinator Marie Rodriguez will contact you to confirm based on the needs of our students and your availability.
With this relaunch, our ability to teach our students the priceless skills of self-sufficiency has been regained. More importantly, their dreams of starting their businesses are once again attainable. We invite you to water these seeds by helping our students complete their capstone projects. Help Dara and other SEEDS students. Become a mentor today!
