2022-2023 Stafford County YEC

STAFFORD COUNTY TO HOST STUDENT ENTREPRENEURSHIP COMPETITION IN FEBRUARY 

Stafford County Economic Development, in association with the Network Kansas E-Community Partnership, will be hosting Stafford County YEC on February 8, 2023, as part of the 2022-2023 Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge (YEC) series. The goal is to expose Kansas middle school and high school students to entrepreneurship. This local competition is made possible by the generous support of the South Central Community Foundation and Network Kansas. 

Stafford County is one of many communities across Kansas to host a locally organized event designed to give students a hands-on entrepreneurship experience. The competition is open to any Stafford County residents in Grades 7-12 that sign up by January 4. Students will be judged on their business’ written executive summary and formal presentation. The students will be competing against each other for a combined total of $1,500 in prize money. 

“The YEC Series allows students to gain hands-on entrepreneurial experience. Students are empowered to solve everyday problems in their own community, which helps them to see that entrepreneurship is a viable career option. The exponential growth of the YEC Series has reiterated that there is a hunger for youth entrepreneurship in Kansas,” says Bailee Henry, Senior Product Manager, E-Community Programs. 

During the 2021-2022 season, over 1,000 students from 61 Kansas schools participated in 51 locally hosted entrepreneurship competitions as part of the YEC series. The 2022-2023 academic year marks the tenth 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 2023 statewide championship will be held on April 20th at Kansas State University.  

For details about the Stafford County YEC competition and how to sign up go to staffordecodevo.com/yec.

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