GREAT IN-PERSON AND VIRTUAL AFTER-SCHOOL ENTREPRENEURSHIP PROGRAMS
A fun way to develop a business and build life skills
If your girl is looking for a fun, new extracurricular activity in the new year, how about an after-school entrepreneurship club? We know that entrepreneurship teaches life skills and enrichment programs outside the classroom benefit students from all socioeconomic backgrounds. Plus, an after-school club is a fun way for your girl to boost her academic and social skills and she’ll get to meet like-minded young entrepreneurs, too! Best of all, there are more choices than ever for your girl to find the best after-school entrepreneurship program for her. Here are some of them to consider.
BizzyGirls – All virtual and in-person classes have an SEL-based (social-emotional learning) curriculum centered around self-confidence, resilience, and collaborative skills. 9 to 12-year-old girls create unique products, craft marketing plans, pitch their products through role-playing exercises, and sell in pop-up stores or e-commerce shops. Face-to-face sessions take place in either Beverly Hills, CA or Rye, NY. Attendees are asked to come to class with essential supplies for their startup products, which cost around $25. Check the website for program fees.
Girls Crushing It – Girls Crushing It (GCI), is a space of inspiration for girls who want to build their confidence through entrepreneurship. GCI offers different entrepreneurial courses every season. Each program ends in a pop-up shop for girlpreneurs (6 to 18 years old) to sell their products to hundreds of customers in the Bay Area. Non-Bay-Area-residents can still sign up for GCI’s virtual “Entrepreneurship 101” course ($36 per attendee) and receive an Entrepreneurship 101 Kickstart Kit. Another online class option coming soon is “Girls’ Pitchfest with Title Nine: Masterclass and Competition.”
Girls with Impact – Girls with Impact, “the only live, online entrepreneurship program made just for girls,” equips girls ages 12 to 18 with entrepreneurship skills, confidence, and business knowledge for their future success. Young girl entrepreneurs learn why entrepreneurship is the key to success for any career path and how to turn passion into impact with a business or non-profit in just 10 weeks. Starting the week of January 10, the 10-week ‘mini M.B.A.’ course of Girls with Impact costs $895 with live and self-paced virtual class options.
Kid Entrepreneurship – All online courses of Kid Entrepreneurship are free! And they’re available in four languages: English, Spanish, Portuguese, and Farsi. Each class can be completed independently and accessed by budding entrepreneurs anytime, anywhere. Kids as young as 5 years old can join and learn the basics of entrepreneurship, business ideation, and what goes into a marketing pitch. Courses range from 5 to 16 days.
Loveworks Leadership – Loveworks Leadership’s Afterschool Leadership program helps 4th to 8th graders in Norman, Oklahoma make “positive life choices, discover career paths, and set them on a trajectory for personal success” through entrepreneurship. Attendees are encouraged to commit to a whole semester for once or twice-per-week, in-class attendance. There is a one-time enrollment fee of $99 for 1 day/week or $125 for 2 days/week each semester.
MoolahU – In MoolahU, an Austin-based financial camp with virtual class offerings, kids ages 7 to 15 learn how money, business, and entrepreneurship are all connected. Plus, attendees develop a viable business project in just five days. Tuition costs $195 with a group rate of $150 per student for 3 or more kids. Scholarships are available.
Project Echo – This online after-school entrepreneurship program offers activity-based lessons that teach middle and high school students to develop a business idea and market it in a competitive setting. Young entrepreneurs compete in the culminating Business Plan Competition on May 14, 2022, with cash for startup funds as the prize. For $650 per enrollee, Project Echo’s virtual entrepreneurship program starts on January 8.
Rocket Club – Rocket Club covers STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) entrepreneurship disciplines in their weekly after-school certificate program for kids ages 7 to 14. Young kid entrepreneurs can join in-person classes in New Jersey, New York, or Chicago for $550 per month. Off-site entrepreneurs can take part remotely for $375 per month, with scholarships available up to $200.
SheEO Academy – A DC, VA, and TX-based in-person camp, SheEO Academy empowers the next generation of female leaders and business moguls. Their weekly business school classes run for 10 weeks and provide skill badges for girls who complete skill-building activities aligned with industry career competencies. When your girl earns all three badges, she receives a SheEO Academy Certificate that she can include in her academic resume, portfolio, or college application. Fees vary by program and location, and rates show upon registration. SheEO Academy also offers one-on-one coaching as an option for those who want to take their entrepreneurial learning to the next level.
Spark Business Academy – Spark is the trusted financial literacy partner at many top schools and youth organizations (Girl Scouts and Jack and Jill of America) throughout the country. Their online Youth Programs, like the Budding Entrepreneurs Club for 3rd to 6th graders, focus on financial literacy and help participants build better money habits. Programs begin on January 18, and their fees range from $149 to $220, with group discounts available.
Startup Kids Club – Kids ages 5-18 at the Startup Kids Club meet once a week for 14 weeks, either remotely or in an Austin, TX location, to create and innovate a business product or service with 3D printing technology. Startup Kids Club also runs business festivals 4x a year, where after-school club participants sell their products to the public. Classes occur every semester, with February to May 2022 as the next one at $20 per student.
Summit Kidpreneurs – Young Entrepreneur Learning Lab, Summit Kidpreneurs’ after-school program located in Vancouver, Canada, helps kids as young as 7 work through the steps of starting actual companies. Kids and teens explore entrepreneurship and business concepts with the help of interactive lessons. At the end of the program, young kid entrepreneurs sell their products to customers on Market Day. The program costs $275 per child.
Target Evolution – Teen Biz Camp by Target Evolution runs for 8 weeks in three phases, including a business starter kit, a 30-day product feature in Trail Blaze pop-up shops around Texas, and an alumni program with access to scholarships and a network of young entrepreneurs. This after-school immersion charges $499 per phase, and 12 to 18-year-old budding entrepreneurs are welcome to join.
Unreasonable Kids – Targeted at the young social entrepreneur, Unreasonable Kids challenges participants to look for solutions to society’s problems. This eight-lesson social entrepreneurship program teaches foundational principles of entrepreneurship. Kids 8 years old and above also learn to raise funds to solve a social problem. The standard program fee is $60, with a $15 material fee due to the instructor on the first day.
WIT – WIT, or Whatever It Takes, provides online business and leadership classes for 6th to 12th graders. Participants develop their leadership skills and strengthen their entrepreneurship mindset through WIT’s four courses that focus on specific fields: leadership, social entrepreneurship, small business scale-up, and public relations and marketing. Course fees range from $995 to $3,285. Financial aid is available, and some classes can be taken for college credit in partnership with UC San Diego.
WizKid Learning/Coding – Participants of Wiz Kid’s Digital Entrepreneurship Program, which takes place once a week over 6 weeks from January to February, learn how to craft a compelling business idea and promote it with digital tools. They also discover social media marketing tips, develop digital design skills and understand what it means to be a business owner in today’s evolving digital economy and community. For kids ages 9 to 12, the Digital Entrepreneurship Program has an early bird rate of $159.
Young Entrepreneurs Academy – With over 113 programs in 38 states for 6th to 12th graders, Young Entrepreneurs Academy (YEA!) has been helping thousands of kids and teens turn their talents and passions into real businesses since 2004. The year-long program under YEA! guides students on how to generate business ideas, conduct market research, pitch to a panel of investors, and launch their startups. The program’s application fee is $20.
Know an after-school entrepreneurship program we failed to mention? Let us know in the comments section below or tag us and the club or program on social media.
