A Look at YEG - Youth Economic Group
Youth Economic Group (YEG) Buisiness Coordinator Jessie Houff and members Thalia Lucas and Elizabeth Grese joined us at the June 11th meeting to tell us about this marvelous program.
YEG is a youth empowerment program that helps students gain business skills such as public speaking, time management, writing business plans… They run their own business and they manufacture cloth bags. The bags promote social issues such as “Justice for Farmworkers” and “Anti Fracking”. They also produce products for those less political.
The group recruits their business members from 10th and 11th grade from local high schools. 100% of the students that have participated in the program have graduated and gone on to college. In just 4 years they have accomplished a great deal. Their current mission it to spread the word to other youth and explain what the organization does.
In addition to running the business and learning practical skills, they take a lot of trips. They will soon be visiting Eco Exchange which is a large silk screening company. Moving to the summer season, which is a busy season, they work on new products and members get paid for the work they do. They will be working out of a new location in a house in Liberty, which is a move up from a their prior location in a church basement.
YEGFest will be held in July, where people from the county come in and learn about YEG goals and activities. It will be at Lazy Pond Bed and Breakfast. They hope it will be informative and good for business. There will be activities for children, food, and fun for all who attend. It will be held on July 20th from 3-5.
The YEG program is funded by grants and sponsorship. YEGFest is intended to try and get more sponsorship and partners.
We were impressed with this presentation and wish all the YEG members the best in their business pursuits.
