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E CITY, which stands for Entrepreneurship: Connecting, Inspiring and Teaching Youth, is a 70-hour semester-long class that teaches entrepreneurial, business and life skills to high school students. The program is currently available to students at Harvey High School in Painesville.
When Big Brothers Big Sisters brought the E CITY program to Lake County, they added a unique element that makes it unlike other E CITY programs. Big Brothers Big Sisters provides each student with his or her own business mentor.
Business mentors are members of the local business community who stay with their student throughout the course offering advice, giving encouragement and guidance.
The class meets one day a week for approximately one hour on the same day each week. It is taught by a specially trained teacher, is free to students and is considered part of their curriculum for which they receive course credit.
The program:
• Guides students in writing business plans
• Introduces them to business role models
• Exposes them to field trips, guest speakers, and hands-on activities
• Teaches them proper business etiquette
• Helps them develop a deeper appreciation of what is required to run a business and become better employees
At the end of the semester, students compete among themselves for 1st, 2nd and3rd prizes. The 1st and 2nd place winners go on to compete against participating schools in other counties in the city-wide E CITY competition held in Cleveland. Our pilot program took place during the second semester of the 2008-2009 school year at Harvey High and we are incredibly proud to say our 1st and 2nd place E CITY Lake County students went on to win 2nd and 3rd place in the citywide competition! Their success has been credited, in part, to the fact that the business mentors they were matched with stayed with them not only throughout the course but helped in preparing them for the competitions, as well.
With a small investment of time and/or financial support you can be part of a life changing program…one that ultimately benefits all who live and work in Lake County.
Click here to see May 2009 E-City Award Ceremony at Lake Erie College
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