JA Be Entrepreneurial is a reimagined, modular program that teaches students about the mindset and the skills needed for success by aspiring entrepreneurs and innovators who add value to any organization. Students completing all three modules use Design Thinking, a problem-solving approach, to create business ideas. They also learn to transform their ideas into concise, effective, actionable one-page business plans.
JA Be Entrepreneurial is part of the JA Entrepreneurship Pathway and is recommended for high school students (Grades 9–12). This blended-model program includes teacher-led content, volunteer-led opportunities, and self-guided content to support flexible implementation options. JA Be Entrepreneurial is available as a classroom-based, remote live, or after-school program.
Modules can be offered together or as stand-alone experiences to meet the diverse needs of teachers and students. Each module offers a culminating, self-guided project for students to create an artifact that allows them to apply what they have learned.
Participating students have the opportunity to compete in the JA Social Innovation Challenge™, a new national virtual competition that provides a platform for them to share their innovative ideas for improving their communities and to compete for national honors.
Rapid business planning module
In the Rapid Business Planning module, students learn about Lean Canvas, the strategic management template for developing business models. The business model canvas is an easy-to-understand, one-page business plan that is the foundation for fleshing out a business idea.
Following participation in the program, students will be able to:
–Practice the lean business planning process.
–Identify cost structure for a product/service by listing fixed and variable costs.
–Identify a competitive advantage.
–Describe the importance of testing and validating the assumptions and ideas that frame a business plan.
–Produce a lean business plan in the Lean Canvas template.
creative problem solving module
In the JA Creative Problem Solving module, students learn and apply design thinking, an innovative process for problem solving used by entrepreneurs (and intrapreneurs) to brainstorm customer-centric ideas. This process focuses on the user needs and experience through the creation of empathy models, problem statements, high-level solutions, prototypes, and testing plans in order to validate a design solution.
Following participation in the program, students will be able to:
— Describe the Design Thinking model and the steps involved in the process.
— Demonstrate how to write a short, clear problem statement that reflects the problem to be solved.
— Construct a prototype based on a problem statement and a brainstormed solution to the problem.
— Develop a testing plan for a given product and target audience.
think like an entrepreneur module
In JA Think Like an Entrepreneur, students develop a mindset that enables opportunity identification, innovation, value creation, and problem solving. They learn the principles, strategies, and skills through the experiences of others and apply them to their own lives.
Following participation in the program, students will be able to:
— Define entrepreneurship and some key qualities of entrepreneurs.
— Describe the advantages of embracing a growth mindset.
— Evaluate personal entrepreneurial strengths and areas for refinement.
— Develop a personal action plan.
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