Dream of running your own business? Have ideas that could change the world? Want to write your own paycheck?
These are the questions posed by Gallup and the Clifton Foundation in order to attract the best and brightest Greater Washington students to participate in their Washington Builders entrepreneurial internship opportunity this summer.
From July 5 - August 5, 2016, students will have the opportunity to team up with peers from across the city for a 5-week immersion in entrepreneurship. Students will learn how to identify business opportunities, create a customer, and make a profit. In addition, they will gain hands-on work experience in marketing, event management, space design, community partnerships, selling, market research, and budgeting.
Participants will also have the opportunity to meet successful entrepreneurs who are starting businesses relevant to their individual passions and interests. They will be invited to apply what the learn each week in city-wide entrepreneurial challenges, will create a career portfolio, attain real work experience, and walk away an entrepreneur. After 5 weeks of non-stop learning, working and playing participants are ready to navigate their own future and be their own boss, at college or work.
Each week of the program is broken down into specific segments on entrepreneurial growth. The segments are as follows:
Week 1: Know Your Strengths!
- Learn about your unique strengths and how to tell your story as an entrepreneur
- Learn the power of asking great questions and interview local business founders
- Build your own personal Board of Directors
- Build a digital portfolio that archives your successes for college and your future career
Week 2: Turn a great idea into $!
- Develop an idea you have into a business plan and customer map
- Take field trips to DC businesses & get a feel of a start-up’s daily operations
- Build a team and make a profit
Week 3: Snapchat matters! Make an impact!
- Market yourself and learn how to use social media more effectively
- Learn how the best use technology to attract and support their customers
- Compete in teams to build the best social media campaign
Week 4 & Week 5: Build your own start up!
- Build your own business pop up
- Design your job based on your interests and strengths
- Experience every phase of building a business and keep the profit
This opportunity is an official Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP) Job Opportunity. If you are a youth between the ages of 16-20 in DC, Maryland, or Virginia, you are eligible to apply for the internship. Interested students can apply by filling out a short application, which can be found here.
For more information visit the Clifton Foundation's website or contact Emily Massel at emily_massel@gallup.com or 202-715-3110. And be sure to join the conversation on Twitter by following the hashtags #BeYourOwnBoss and #IfItAintAboutTheMoney.