Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) is a one-year program for business entrepreneurship active in 30 countries around the world, and in Israel it operates under the umbrella of Unistream. The youth participating in the program learn about entrepreneurship while acquiring diverse and relevant life skills through experiential, project-based learning. During the program, participants develop ventures and create business plans while learning and implementing organizational, planning, and marketing tools.
There are approximately 70,000 at-risk youth in Israel; some live in communities on the margins of society, some drop out of school, and some have already been in trouble with the law. Leaving them on the sidelines reduces their chances of succesful integration into Israeli society.
Our accumulated experience shows that the world of entrepreneurship attracts and inspires at-risk youth. Experience in business and entrepreneurship empowers young people to discover their hidden capabilities, exposes them to normative and positive interactions with the adult world, and is an effective means of communicating with at-risk youth. Research by the Myers-JDC-Brookdale Institute shows that about a quarter of NFTE program participants come from families where the head of the family does not work, whereas 70% of the youth participating in the program do have work experience (30% are currently working and 40% have worked in the past).
Program objectives:
Fostering an entrepreneurial approach and teaching business skills to help our youth:
– Develop familiarity with and interest in the entrepreneurial and business worlds as leverage for getting an education and acquiring “soft skills”.
– Develop a sense of competence, building self-confidence and a “can-do” attitude.
– Develop skills and competencies to help them start their independent business.
Target audience:
Under-achieving students in grades 10 through 12.
