Ten9Eight

Gr 9 Up—Student entrepreneurs deliver a delightful, positive outlook for themselves and the future as we follow a national competition sponsored by the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) in which inner city teens from across the country compete in a business plan competition. Inner city realities punctuate the biographies of these exceptional youth who defy conventional expectations. By creating formal presentations describing their businesses, these diverse entrants prove that a business plan must be thorough to make it to the final rounds of the competition. The program features interviews with students whose businesses run the gamut from cosmetics and dance instruction, to video production, sports visors, sign language instruction, and more. We meet teachers, family members, and mentors who have inspired a strong work ethic and a desire to beat the failure that is so common in their neighborhoods. Footage from the competition is shown. Music, poetry, and dance enliven the production. The overriding theme is that each student has the courage to pursue success, despite setbacks or rejections. The goal is tangible—$10,000 to the winner—making sense of the platitudes students so often hear to stay in school, turn away from crime and dangerous behaviors, and make something of yourself. Business leaders discuss which characteristics and presentation skills impress them most as the competition counts down to the final round in New York City. Entertaining and optimistic, this is a must-see for business, career, and guidance classes.—Robin Levin, Fort Washakie School/Community Library, WY