"I'm so excited to share with them the joy of pursuing a dream." AXIS Director Cara Evans
A new club organized by the Oklahoma City Metropolitan Library System encourages middle school students to explore their entrepreneurial side.
Young Entrepreneurs Club will start at The Village Library (10307 N Pennsylvania Ave in The Village) on Jan. 9. The eight-week program will teach students the basics of entrepreneurship.
AXIS Powered by Francis Tuttle is a partner for the club.
“Youth entrepreneurship is vital to growing an economy like Oklahoma’s, where so many of our most innovative employers and technologies are homegrown,” AXIS Director Cara Evans said. “Entrepreneurial programs like this one offered through the Metropolitan Library System go beyond content knowledge and equip participants with the skills and mindset they need to collaborate, solve problems they care about, and handle upheaval. I’m so excited to share with them the joy of pursuing a dream and to introduce the many pathways Francis Tuttle has that they can use to gain the skills they need.”
Evans is one of many community business partners who will present to the club. Lessons will cover topics such as creativity, analyzing potential opportunities, market research, design thinking, business models, and how to pitch your business idea.
The club will meet every Tuesday from 4:30-5:30 p.m. Through a series of fun, hands-on activities, middle school-age students will get firsthand experience of being a successful entrepreneur.
Their work culminates in a Pitch Event during the final week, during which participants will pitch their business ideas to the club’s local business partners. The club is similar to what students do every week in Francis Tuttle’s Entrepreneurship Program, located at the Danforth Campus just down the hall from AXIS.
Elisabeth White, Teen Librarian at The Village Library, said the Entrepreneurs Club matches perfectly with the library’s mission of “connecting our diverse communities with resources and experiences to educate and enrich lives.”
“Kids need safe spaces to explore and innovate so that they can develop the mindsets that will help them be successful in the future,” White said. “The library is thankful for our partnerships that make programs like this free and accessible to our community.”
Other partners include WEOKIE Federal Credit Union, i2E (Innovation to Enterprise), and Sage & Elm Apothecary.