Dreaming big is the first step toward big accomplishments. But for young people—especially those in disadvantaged communities—the chasm between the courage to dream and the know-how to make those dreams a reality can be the width of the Grand Canyon.

That’s why in 2004 teachers Chris Balme and Melia Dicker started a program to connect at-risk kids with volunteer professionals in order to “spark” their interest in an exciting career path.

Every week Vince, Kristin, Krystal, and Erin go over a few concepts and play games that illustrate working world challenges with Kenneth, who wants to own a business one day, and Malik, who’d like to be an engineer. 

Krystal, Kristin, Erin, Malik, Kenneth, and Vince

This week the apprenticeship program included an entrepreneurship game called “On Trip Endure” that introduced the kind of decisions that need to be made when starting and building a company.

  • Do friends and family fund your fledgling business, or do you borrow money from the bank?
  • Do you take VC (venture capitalist) money as soon as you can get it, or do you coast for longer on less money from angel investors?
  • How do you deal with competitors?
  • Who do you hire as your operation expands?
In the comfortable environment of the conference room, it was fun to watch Kenneth and Malik reason their way through the complicated decision making process of growing a startup, where every choice has advantages and drawbacks. And it was even more fun to imagine the day when they become the entrepreneurs themselves who mentor the next generation of business builders.