Nebraska 4-H Youth Development Program Priority
Entrepreneurship
Nebraska 4-H connects youth to important careers and strengthens their entrepreneurship skills. Entrepreneurship programs aim to increase the number of youth returning to rural communities in business and professions and to increase the number of youth who are entrepreneurs.
The University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension youth entrepreneurship youth programming framework exists to showcase the opportunities that youth across the state of Nebraska have to engage in Entrepreneurial experiences from elementary through high school. The goal is to allow youth to have in-depth and engaging experiences to prepare them for their future careers, education, or whatever pathway they choose after high school.
Through these programs, youth practice critical life skills, including
Leadership
Citizenship
Communication
Concern for others
Contributing to a group
and many more
Signature Programs
INVENTURE Day
Middle School
INVENTURE Day is a single-day entrepreneurial adventure for middle school youth. Using innovation and creative problem-solving, teams of youth develop unique business concepts using a given widget as inspiration. Teams move through the INVENTURE Factory, completing challenges and working together to develop their business idea. Youth learn about product development, target markets, branding, and finance. Working with adult mentors and entrepreneurs from their own community, youth also learn what it takes to start a business through first-hand experience. At the end of the experience, teams present their ideas in a product pitch competition.
Idea to Pitch
powered by VentureLab
All Ages
With Idea to Pitch powered by VentureLab, you’re taking the first step toward introducing youth entrepreneurship to your youth.
- 21st century skills made accessible. Critical thinking, creativity, problem-solving, communication, and collaboration are explicitly taught. Guided reflections after each activity deepen understanding.
- Curriculum designed with girls in mind. Lessons emphasize real-world connections and problem-solving for a cause. Whenever possible, we use real-life examples of female entrepreneurs.
- ESTEAM methodology. ESTEAM combines science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics under the lens of entrepreneurship and gives students the knowledge to take their learning beyond the classroom.
Additional Statewide Programs
Upstarts
High School
The UpStarts is designed to equip high school students with entrepreneurial mindsets and STEAM (Science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics) skills by solving real-world challenges faced by local businesses in rural communities. Our place-based education is developed to increase social connections with local communities while building entrepreneurial capacity and other development skills among youth.
Tec Box Curriculum
Elementary
Tinker. Explore. Create. (TEC) Box is an experiential learning and maker movement activity that actively engages learners, encourages them to think for themselves, work hard, and ultimately learn more. TEC Box was developed to introduce youth to the idea of entrepreneurship; encourage active listening that leads to empathy, facilitate creative problem solving, and focus on the non- technical aspects of entrepreneurship. Through the TEC Box program, your students will engage with entrepreneurship and utilize their innovative spark!
Spark to Start
Get ready to inspire the next generation of entrepreneurs with this activity book! The Find Your Spark to Start book contains activities, games, puzzles, and more, to learn about starting a business. Targeted for the 3-5th grade level, the activities will help youth become more aware of entrepreneurial traits/skills they have and foster the development of workforce skills and business knowledge. Ignite an entrepreneurial spark in youth with this sixteen-page Find Your Spark To Start activity book and make learning about business fun!
For questions about this program or the information on this page, please contact: