This is the first in a series of posts on the Young Entrepreneurs Academy (YEA). YEA is an after-school program that takes students through the process of starting and running real businesses over the course of an academic year. This year, the Chamber partnered with YEA and local chambers of commerce to bring the program to 12 regions, including the Laurinburg/Scotland County (NC) Area Chamber of Commerce.

Theresa Lamson, president of the Laurinburg/Scotland County Area Chamber of Commerce, shared her experience with the YEA program:

Q. Why was it important for your chamber to get involved with the YEA! program?
A. YEA was critical to revamping and reinventing our partnership with the local schools systems. This program made more sense for a chamber of commerce to lead than several of the other programs we had in operation.

Q. What has the response been like in your community?
A. The response has been overwhelmingly positive. The support we have received, whether it be financial or volunteers, has not only come from our membership, but also from throughout the region.

Q. What do entrepreneurs mean to your chamber and your community?
A. Entrepreneurs are the life blood of our small community. We are not a community of large box retailers or franchises. We are made up of small family owned businesses and individual enterprises.

Q. Why is it important to you that young people receive entrepreneurial education?
A. The education our YEA students are receiving through the program is essential to their development as leaders. What they are learning will go a long way in helping them whether they go on to college, or go into the workforce.

Q. What advice do you have for YEA! students as they begin the process of starting their own businesses?
A. Keep your mind open to the possibilities, soak up as much knowledge as you can and get as much out of the experience as you want. Make it your own.