I recently read a poster that proclaimed, “A dream is just a dream until you ACT upon it”. This struck home with me and provoked me to think about dreams I had; dreams that for some reason or another never came true. Yes, this is a part of life and I’m not the only one who hasn’t fulfilled all of my dreams, but I wonder what could’ve been, had I been inspired to act upon them; if someone had DARED me to dream. What if someone dared you to dream as a youngster?
Youth Entrepreneurs (YE) took on the challenge of encouraging our students to not let their dreams pass them by. Over the course of two days, we DARED 925 high school students to turn their dreams into reality. YE hosted workshops that were charged with energy and inspiration. Not only were new friendships formed among students who never would’ve otherwise met, but the day was full of practical learning scenarios that could be transferred into their daily lives. In the words of one YE student, the day was ‘DOPE’.
Buy low, sell high; a cornerstone concept in business. This is what the Youth Entrepreneur students learned in one of their breakout sessions called ‘Fuel Frenzy’. During this activity, half of the students were buying fuel while the other half were selling it. The goal was for individuals from one group to strike deals with the opposing group and make a profit; all the while learning the art of negotiation. What wonderful knowledge and skills to acquire at such a young age!
Do you ever wish you would’ve learned about personal finance while you were a teenager so that you could have avoided foolish money decisions as an adult? Hopefully none of the YE students say that later down the road because they had the opportunity to participate in the ‘Reality Game’. In this session, students were randomly assigned jobs ranging from those that required college level degrees to jobs that paid on an hourly basis. Dependent on their monthly income, they had to navigate through a series of life tables (housing, automobile, utilities, groceries, child care, student loans, etc.) and determine what they could afford. The students quickly learned some keys to having disposable income each month are to have a well paying/stable job, a driving record free of tickets, accidents and DUI’s, a low debt to income ratio and a good credit score to boot. It was a great crash course in how making wise decisions as a young adult can lead to a financially stable future.
During an etiquette luncheon, the students learned tips on what to do at a business lunch/dinner. Everything from which fork to use, to what to do if you need to spit your gum out, to appropriate conversation starters and which side of your chair to enter and exit from were discussed. Eating is a topic these teenagers didn’t think they needed a lesson on, but as one student stated, “I really need to know the importance of fine dining for business dinners and just nice occasions”. I think it’s safe to say we met her expectations.
To end the day, national inspirational speaker, Eric Anderson: The Magician with a Message spoke to the students. He spoke to them about rising above any occasion. Whether you feel on top of the world because you have a job and girlfriend or you’re feeling low because you are broke and jobless, you have to find a way to deal with the cards you were dealt, be productive and stay positive. In between his messages, he wove in magic tricks that left us all wondering how he did it!
It was a remarkable two days that we had the privilege of sharing with 900+ teenagers. It was hard not to walk away feeling inspired to follow your heart and turn your dreams into reality. With that, I DARE you to DREAM.
- Priscilla McInnes, Northeast Region Director
Dare to Dream was sponsored by:
WindRiver Grain
Maupin's Truck Parts
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