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Dr. Sigfredo Hernandez Mr. Kevin Wortham . Founders of MOB
Program Overview
Minding Our Business (MOB) is a community outreach program of Rider University College of Business Administration. The purpose of Minding Our Business is to advance the personal and vocational development of Trenton youth through entrepreneurship education and mentoring.
Minding Our Business operates three programs: the Service Learning program, the Summer Program, and the Advanced Program. Since 1997, MOB has trained and mentored more than 2,000 Trenton middle school students, ages 11-14, in starting and running their own businesses. The skills needed to run a business successfully are also important life skills.
The Spring Program is a 12-week after-school program that serves approximately 200 students at partner middle schools in Trenton, Perth Amboy and Vineland. Students, divided into teams, attend twelve 90-minute program sessions. Mentors, who are college students (in Trenton and Perth Amboy) and bank executives (in Vineland), guide student teams through the process of starting and running a business, from concept to business plan to start-up loan, to grand opening. Their efforts culminate in a Market Fair Day in which they put their businesses to the test.
The program provides 60 Trenton youth with the opportunity to start and run a business individually during the summer. Middle school students participate in 14 days of training in entrepreneurship at Rider University and run their businesses throughout the summer. The intensive training program challenges students to improve their reading and math skills. The experiential component involves four Summer Market Fairs at different sites in Trenton where students run their businesses. Prior to each market fair students participate in a business trip to purchase merchandise for their businesses. Also, prior to each market fair students participate in a Business Coaching Session. At each session, parents and other volunteers help students effectively plan to run their businesses at the upcoming market fair. In 2008 and 2009 the program was recognized by the National Center for Summer Learning at John Hopkins University as one of the top summer programs in the country in terms of summer learning excellence.
The MOB Advanced Program, created in 2004, is designed for these students who need additional training and support to make their businesses sustainable year-round. There are 15 students enrolled in the 2007 MOB Advanced Program. The program involves three components: intensive training at Rider University, a 10 month-long business coaching program, and a selling program that provide opportunities for students to sell year-around.
Impact on Trenton Youth In its 12 year history, MOB programs have been successful in advancing the personal and vocational development of Trenton youth. Our research indicates that students in all MOB programs become more interested in going to college and in starting their own businesses. Students participating in MOB observe positive changes in self and improvement in important work/life skills. Research on academic records data indicates that MOB participation reduces school absenteeism and tardiness. MOB also improves self-esteem among participating students. Research on the Summer Program indicates that scores in reading, writing and math are significantly higher at the end of the training as compared to first day scores. Summer Program students score 30% higher at the conclusion of the training on their knowledge of key entrepreneurship concepts as compared to their pre-training scores.
This is what students have to say about their experiences in MOB: “My life dream is to own a business. MOB made me more confident about achieving my dream.” “MOB didn’t just keep me out of trouble during the summer, I learned a great deal and my desire to have a business keeps growing.”
Impact on Rider University Mentors Since 1997, 400 Rider University students have mentored teams of Trenton students through the process of starting and running their own businesses. Mentors’ reflections provide evidence of a powerful learning experience and of the positive impact of MOB on their own personal and vocational development. This is what Rider University students have to say about their experiences as mentors: “MOB is not like any other class offered…This class is based on a life-changing program.” “I learned that I’m capable of helping others…that I have some things in common with all of the children ...I am definitely not the same person that I was at the beginning.” “The skills that I learned at MOB I will carry with me to other aspects of my life…I learned team work and the actual meaning of mentoring.”
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