YesKidzCan! has the first awards program to support kid social entrepreneurs — kids who create a product or service to sell and donate the funds they earn to a cause they care about.

Apply for an Award . . . See the Benefits

Our Social KidPreneurz Awards Program invites kids in grades 3-8 (with an adult’s assistance) to apply for a $100 award to undertake a simple entrepreneurial activity to benefit a cause.  Many  kids already do social entrepreneurial activities.  Think of the kids who open lemonade stands and donate the profits to charity.  These are our youngest social entrepreneurs.  By exposing kids to this innovative field when they are young, we’re helping them to imagine more ways to solve problems.  We want kids to believe they can use the power of entrepreneurism to change the world for the better.

To apply for an award, an adult sponsor (parent, teacher, community/faith leader) with an interested kid download our Awards Application, answer  the 10 questions, and mail it to YesKidzCan!.  We notify recipients within 2 weeks after receiving their application.  You can also tap into our easy, age-appropriate, and free Learning Tools  to get  more information about social entrepreneurism.

Work Together . . . Inspire Each Other

We know you are busy, but kids need and value the support of an enthusiastic adult to do this kind of activity.  It’s worth it!  You will:

• Foster kids’ imagination to create a project (large or small) that matches their interests with their passion for a cause;
• Provide kids with rich learning experiences in areas such as business planning, economics, and community service;
• Have a fun summer learning project or an after school, faith, or club activity; and
• See how your kids cherish your participation and how they can inspire you throughout the process!

You can read more about a previous award winner here!  Help us build a foundation for tomorrow’s changes makers.  Apply for a $100 award with your kids today, and see what happens with kids and social entrepreneurism connect!

© YesKidzCan, 2012

Did you know that duct tape has been shown to help in the aftermath of an earthquake?  Hand-made soap can help save manatees?  And, cinnamon buns can create a supply of back packs for kids in need?

This makes perfect sense to recipients of our Social KidPreneurz Awards Program — where caring kids use their entrepreneurial skills for good!  Read on to learn about one of these award winning efforts!

Abigail (age 11) of Bethesda, Maryland, loves making stuff out of duct tape.  Wallets, pencil cases, purses, totes, bookmarks!  She recruited a classmate to help make duct tape items (probably 50 when all was said and done) and sell them at a neighborhood stand that her family helped set up.

On the morning of the event, Abigail and her friend were a little shy at first — getting a feel for how to engage passers-by.  But after a few attempts, they started waving and smiling at cars, carrying their products to greet weekend joggers, and even engaging Abigail’s younger brother to make a huge sign and flyers to put on the windshields of neighborhood cars. They had quite an operation going!  And who could ever predict that their customers would include toddlers to senior citizens.  Several were so tickled by what they saw that they told Abigail to keep the change or made a donation without asking for a product in return!

You can watch Abigail’s success here!  And successful she was!  She donated $200 to the Save the Children’s Japan Relief Fund.  And while the financial donation deserves significant kudos, according to Abigail’s mom (a third grade school teacher), the success went deeper than feeling terrific about the donation.  She emphasized that the project was great fun to do with a friend and also helped build confidence in the kids.  Just goes to show it’s not your grandfather’s duct tape anymore!  Congratulations to Abigail for finding the creativity and compassion in duct tape!

© YesKidzCan!, 2011

Meet our next Social KidPreneuerz Award winner — Max and company!  Max is 11 years old and loves manatees.  Ever since seeing a manatee at Sea World in San Diego, CA Max has been bound and determined to protect as many as possible.  To achieve this goal, he needed a great team.  His mom, Jenny, along with Calex, age 9; Rex, age 5; Paxton, age 4, Jasmine, age 11; and Jade age 8 came up with a couple of creative ideas to support Save the Manatee Club, a nonprofit that works to protect manatees and get them off the endangered species list.  Team Max decided on two projects:  1)  create kids’ coloring books filled with pictures, riddles, poems and stories based around animal themes, and 2) make handmade soaps in a variety of shapes and scents packaged in plastic bags with signature labels.

Max and his family and friends set up  a stand outside their home in California to sell their special products as well as lemonade.  They got the word out with flyers and posters as well as email blasts to family, friends, neighbors, and the school community. The kids’ mission was to “adopt” as many manatees as possible.  To adopt one manatee costs $25.

The kids had their sights set on adopting 6 manatees — one for each kid involved.  But so far, they have exceeded their goal and raised $225 — enough to adopt 9 manatees!  With the team’s compassion, their super creative fundraising ideas, and the manatees themselves (who could possibly say, “no” to those splendid mammal faces?!), this project is a winner!  Just take a look at some of the fortunate manatee adoptees themselves:  Elaine, Georgia, Lily, Nick, Whiskers, Ariel, Rosie, Ginger, and Vector!

© YesKidzCan!, 2011

What do you get when you take caring about a cause, an entrepreneurial spirit, and neon-colored duct tape?  You get another winner of our Social KidPreneurz Award — Abigail (age 11) of Bethesda, Maryland!  Abigail loves making stuff out of duct tape.  Wallets, pencil cases, purses, totes, bookmarks!  She recruited a classmate to help make duct tape items (probably 50 when all was said and one) and sell them at a neighborhood stand that her family helped set up.

On the morning of the event, Abigail and her friend were a little shy at first — getting a feel for how to engage passers-by.  But after a few attempts, they started waving and smiling at cars, carrying their products to greet weekend joggers, and even engaging Abigail’s younger brother to make a huge sign and flyers to put on the windshields of neighborhood cars. They had quite an operation going!  And who could ever predict that their customers would include toddlers to senior citizens.  Several were so tickled by what they saw that they told Abigail to keep the change or made a donation without asking for a product in return!

You can watch Abigail’s success here!  And successful she was!  She donated $200 to the Save the Children’s Japan Relief Fund.  And while the financial donation deserves significant kudos, according to Abigail’s mom (a third grade school teacher), the success went deeper than feeling terrific about the donation.  She emphasized that the project was great fun to do with a friend and also helped build confidence in the kids.  Just goes to show it’s not your grandfather’s duct tape anymore!  Congratulations to Abigail for finding the creativity and compassion in duct tape!

© YesKidzCan!, 2011

We are excited to share that since we launched our Social KidPreneurz Awards Program in April, it has received a lot of positive feedback.  People have asked if older kids can apply and what should they do if they missed our initial application deadline.  Well, we are happy to announce two important things:

• We have expanded the age range so that kids who are in grades 3-8 can apply for an award.  We know that young kids have what it takes to do this kind of activity.  And, we also know that older kids are looking for fun school or faith-based community service projects or are eager to serve as mentors to younger kids by assisting them with their efforts!
• We are now set up to offer a rolling application schedule, so you and your kids can submit an application anytime during the year.  We will notify award winners within 4 weeks of receiving their application.

We are excited about the young social entrepreneurs who have won awards already, and we will continue to share their stories with you throughout the year.  And, we look forward to reviewing more kids’ award applications as well as receiving your ideas and feedback.  Keep the inspiring stuff coming!

© YesKidzCan!, 2011

We at YesKidzCan! are beyond excited to have made our first series of awards to support kid social entrepreneurs — kids who takes the passion they feel about a cause and undertake a business-like activity that earns money (or provides other resources) to support that cause.

We invited  invites kids in grades 3-5 (with an adult’s assistance) to apply for our Social KidPreneurz Awards Program with the hopes of winning a $100 award to undertake a simple entrepreneurial activity to benefit society.

Meet one of our award recipients — Cade from Kansas!  A fourth grader, Cade is going to bake cinnamon rolls and bread to sell at his local Farmers Market on Saturday mornings during the summer.  The money Cade raises will support the Marysville Food Pantry and the Back-Snacks Program where kids in need get back packs at school that are filled with food to take home over the weekend.  He has eager helpers including his mom and sister, and he plans to get the word out through free advertising via his local radio station, newspaper, community calendar listing, and his mom’s Facebook page!  His goal is to raise $1,000!  Simply fantastic!  We also applaud Cade’s mom for supporting her son and seeing this as a unique learning experience for him to help others – particularly kids around his own age!  Congratulations to Cade and our other award winners.  We will be sharing their stories with you over the coming months!

Also, check back with us by the end of June when we will have breaking news about more opportunities with our Awards Program!  In the meantime, to learn more, check out our Awards Application as well as our Learning Tools for easy, age-appropriate, and free  information about social entrepreneurism.

At YesKidzCan! we believe that by exposing kids to social entrepreneursim when they are young, we’re helping them imagine more ways to solve problems and believe they can use the power of entrepreneurism to change the world for the better.

© YesKidzCan, 2011

We often hear how we can learn from our elders.  Very true.  But let’s not overlook how much kids can teach us.  Take seven-year-old Allie from Vermont, for example.  On vacation with her family, she saw tigers, lions, and mini ponies being pulled behind trucks for tourists’ enjoyment.  Alex was upset about the animals’ treatment in the hot sun without food or water.  Once home, she set up Allie’s Tigerific Lemonade Stand to sell homemade lemonade and limeade with all the money going to Big Cat Rescue in Tampa, Florida.  Her goal has been to help save tigers “one cup of lemonade at a time.”  With support from local papers and stores that posted her flyers, she has donated $820 to date.

We believe that kids like Allie should be recognized for their vision, passion, and entrepreneurial spirit.  That’s why we created the Social KidPreneurz Awards Program for kids in grades 3-5.  If you know young social entrepreneurs (kids who want to solve a problem by creating a business-like product or service and donating the money to a cause), encourage them to work with you to fill out an application to win $100 of seed money to implement their idea.  It’s only 10 questions, but apply now.  Applications must be postmarked by June 1.  YesKidzCan! will present 50 recipients with their awards by June 15.

Help your kids learn what Allie is already teaching us — whether it is one cup of lemonade, one kind act, or one kid — the power of one is unmistakable.

© YesKidzCan, 2011

YesKidzCan! is launching the first awards program to support kid social entrepreneurs — kids who takes the passion they feel about a cause and undertake a business-like activity that earns money (or provides other resources) to support that cause.

Apply for an Award . . . See the Benefits

Beginning in April, our Social KidPreneurz Awards Program invites kids in grades 3-5 (with an adult’s assistance) to apply for a $100 award to undertake a simple entrepreneurial activity to benefit society.  Many  kids already do social entrepreneurial activities.  Think of  the kids who open lemonade stands and donate the profits to a cause.  These are our youngest social entrepreneurs.  By exposing kids to this innovative field when they are young, we’re helping them to imagine more ways to solve problems.  We want kids to believe they can use the power of entrepreneurism to change the world for the better.

To apply for an award, an adult sponsor (parent, teacher, community/faith leader) with the interested kid simply download our Awards Application, answer  the 10 questions, and mail it to YesKidzCan! by June 1, 2011.  We will select 50 award recipients and notifiy them by June 15.  You can also tap into our easy, age-appropriate, and free Learning Tools  to get  more information about social entrepreneurism.

Work Together . . . Inspire Each Other

We know you are busy, but kids will need the support of an enthusiastic adult to do this kind of activity.  You will both reap the benefits including:

• Fostering kids’ imagination to create a project (large or small) that matches their interests with their passion for a cause;
• Providing kids with rich learning experiences in areas such as business planning, economics, and community service;
• Having a fun summer learning project or an after school, faith, or club activity; and
• Seeing how your kids value your participation and how they can inspire you throughout the process!

Help us build a foundation for tomorrow’s changes makers.  Apply for a $100 award with your kids today!

© YesKidzCan, 2011