STAFFORD COUNTY TO HOST STUDENT ENTREPRENEURSHIP COMPETITION

Stafford County Economic Development, in association with the Network Kansas E-Community Partnership, announces the Stafford County YEC will take place in St. John on Wednesday, March 23^rd at 11:00 A.M. at the Stafford County Annex. The competition is part of the 2021-2022 Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge (YEC) series. The goal is to expose Kansas middle school and high school students to entrepreneurship.

“We are really excited to have students participating in the Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge this year,” says Kathleen Norman, Stafford County Economic Development Executive Director. “It’s a great learning experience that helps students develop an entrepreneurial mindset that will help them now and in the future. It is amazing to see how they develop their ideas and transform them into businesses.”

Stafford County is one of many communities across Kansas to host a locally organized event designed to give students a hands-on entrepreneurship experience. Students will be judged on their business’ written executive summary and presentation. The students will be competing against each other for a combined total of $1,500 in prize money. The students’ work will be judged by a local businessperson, a Network Kansas representative, and a Mason. This is the first time in several years that there have been students in Stafford County interested in competing.

“The YEC Series helps students learn valuable life skills such as creative problem solving and confidently presenting their ideas to others. The classroom learning and mentorship they receive in preparation of competing in their local YEC Series event can also help students feel more connected to their communities and help them identify a need they could fill in their own city or county,” says Amara Kniep, Product Manager, E-Community Programs.

During the 2020-2021 season, 898 students from 47 communities hosted 44 local entrepreneurship competitions as part of the YEC series. The 2021-2022 academic year marks the ninth annual YEC Series coordinated by NetWork Kansas and the E-Community Partnership.

The annual YEC series culminates in a statewide championship, where the top students from each local competition face off against each other for prize money and other honors. The 2022 statewide championship will be held on April 28^th at Kansas State University.

For more information, contact Kathleen Norman with Stafford County Economic Development at 620-549-3527 or [email protected].

For more information about NetWork Kansas or the E-Community Partnership, visit www.networkkansas.com.