MIAMI – June 11-22, 2012 – 25 Miami-Dade and Broward students will participate in the “Start Up Summer Camp” for teen entrepreneurs starting next week at the Burger King Corp. headquarters, located at 5505 Blue Lagoon Drive in Miami. This 2-week summer camp supports motivated young entrepreneurs from low-income communities, helping them prepare for business and life success. The students (grades 10-12) are carefully selected from over 3,000 students at 21 schools who have completed the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) course.
The 25 students will come to the camp prepared with basic business plans which they have already completed during the school year through the NFTE course. During the 2-week summer program, these advanced NFTE students will strengthen their plans as they gain a better understanding of business law, conduct market research, learn about business banking, develop a financing strategy and improve their communication and presentation skills. Each student will also develop a business website and present it as a capstone project, along with their elevator pitch and a brief video “commercial” on the final day of the camp, June 22.
Youth unemployment has spiked during the recent recession, and according to some estimates has more than doubled over the past decade to nearly 25%. For many young people who have no hope of finding a job, the only method of gaining hands-on work experience is starting an entrepreneurial venture. Jhasir Bermudez, the recent winner of NFTE South Florida’s Youth BizPlan Challenge and a 17-year old junior at Southridge Senior High School has enrolled at the camp. Inspired by his mother who taught Jhasir how to sew, Jhasir saw an opportunity to develop his talent into a full-fledged business. Responding to the market for chemical-free children’s clothing, he created Prasinos Princess, manufacturing organic cotton dresses for young girls. Recently, Jhasir’s mother has been unable to work due to an illness. Finances have been tight in the Bermudez household, and Jhasir is excited to hone his business skills at the Start Up Summer Camp.
Jhasir and the other students will have the opportunity to learn from business volunteers and mentors throughout the camp including representatives of Banesco USA and Burger King. According to Rafael Saldana, CEO of Banesco and Co-Chair of the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce Education Committee: “We are proud to invest in this innovative educational program. These young entrepreneurs are indeed the future.” Adds Shelia Dudley, Director, Inclusion & Community Engagement for Burger King Corp.: “At Burger King Corp., we are committed to weaving diversity and inclusion into everything we do and we are ardent supporters of entrepreneurial leadership in our community. Our team is excited to work with these talented young people – tomorrow’s leaders – and help them learn and evolve as professionals.”
About the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship
Too many young people today drop out of school and struggle to break the cycle of poverty. Since 1987, the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) has been inspiring young people to pursue educational opportunities, start their own businesses, and succeed in life. By providing entrepreneurship education programs relevant to the real world, NFTE empowers students to own their educations in and out of the classroom and to find their own path to success. NFTE South Florida was launched in 2006 and has impacted over 16,000 youth to date. NFTE supports active programs in 18 U.S. states and 10 countries around the world through our network of program offices and licensed partners. Entrepreneurs are a powerful driver of economic growth and NFTE sows the seeds of innovation in students worldwide. For more information, visit www.nfte.com.
About Burger King Corp.
Founded in 1954, BURGER KING® is the second largest fast food hamburger chain in the world. The original HOME OF THE WHOPPER®, the BURGER KING® system operates in over 12,500 locations serving over 11 million guests daily in 82 countries and territories worldwide. Approximately 90 percent of BURGER KING® restaurants are owned and operated by independent franchisees, many of them family-owned operations that have been in business for decades. Burger King Corp. is privately-held by 3G Capital, a multi-billion dollar, global investment firm focused on long-term value creation. For more information on 3G Capital, please go to http://3g-capital.com. To learn more about Burger King Corp., please visit the company’s website at www.bk.com or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
About Banesco
Banesco USA (Banesco) is a commercial Bank headquartered in Coral Gables, Florida. We are an FDIC-insured bank regulated by the Florida Office of Financial Regulation (OFR). Banesco USA is an independent with local roots and international reach. We are a well-capitalized and top-rated financial institution.
We are an integrated financial services organization dedicated to meeting the needs of our customers and satisfying them through relationships based on mutual trust, easy access and excellence in service.
We are committed to our customers and the community we serve.
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