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Written by Carla Foster “Hard fun.” In her tribute to the great Computer Science Educator, Seymour Papert, Joy Buolamwini of the MIT Media Lab was referencing Seymour’s contention that everyone likes hard challenging things to do. His phrase for this was “hard fun,” a phrase he first heard from an elementary schooler in an underprivileged neighborhood in San Jose, California, right here in our backyard. There we were, Thais and I, sitting in the auditorium at the White House Summit on Computer Science For All in Washington, D.C. A few weeks earlier, we could not have imagined that we would be here. But based on our collaboration with our friends at NCWIT in the development of our STEM-based entrepreneurship curriculum BizMovie, we were recommended to the White House. We responded to their inquiries and told them about BizMovie and our latest entrepreneurship curriculum that incorporates HTML coding. BOOM! — we received an invitation to the White House to participate in the first #CSforAll Summit. Honestly, I was doubtful at first. I figured they were inviting thousands of people and making us think we were special. So I inquired and, well, 150 attendees and even fewer invitations extended. We were special after all. I learned a lot about what people and organizations all over the country are doing to democratize access to Computer Science education and was reminded of why it matters so much. More specifically, I saw striking similarities between these educators’ approach and how we at BizWorld think about entrepreneurship education. Our experience tells us that our students learn when we DEMYSTIFY, INSPIRE, and BUILD. I heard all of these themes at the Summit and particularly from the educators with stories from their classrooms. Our programs de-mystify business and entrepreneurship by making it entertaining – “hard fun,” as the great Seymour said, is a great way to learn. We introduce business in simple terms they can easily relate to. It’s easy for kids to imagine a lemonade or taco stand and we build from there. We inspire them to act by giving them a sense of independence and the ability to be creative. No two teams (companies) make the same decisions or the exact same products. All outcomes are different and there is no “right answer.” And we build their confidence – they practice doing the things they naturally do best and then learn a few more skills. The “chatty” or “active” kid makes a high powered head of sales and the girl with her head in the numbers all day makes a great VP of Finance. But they both have to be involved in manufacturing, marketing and design. Build. We learned that there are many organizations that can help us do the CS part of our curriculum even better and we can start by looking to the CSforAll Consortium, a new group of more than 180 organizations which will connect stakeholders. We also feel hopeful that we’ll be able to serve more children with our STEM programs as access to computers in schools expands. Recently, I was at an elementary school in Richmond, California where over 90% of the student population is eligible for free or reduced rate meals based on their families’s income. There was a boy in one of our 6th grade BizMovie classrooms who seemed to be the brunt of his classmates’ anger based on his constant movement, interruptions, and limited attention span. So it was surprising and heartening to see his teammates reaction when he learned to make movies so quickly and outpaced all his peers considerably. I saw the newfound respect from his team, and more importantly, his pride was visible. There is no question in my mind that both entrepreneurship and CS education can be life changing. And every child deserves to have them. I am personally committed to having hard fun in my life until I can’t remember what that is. Thanks Seymour for your simple eloquence and thank you White House, for an amazing conference.

By Helen Al Uzaizi, CEO of BizWorld UAE, Jordan, & Egypt When I said I was going to take BizWorld Jordan & BizWorld UAE to the refugee camps, and teach the kids entrepreneurship and financial literacy, people smiled and nodded like I was crazy and living in ‘Lala Land’. I said, the only way to change mind-sets from charity to productivity was to work with the kids. They said, ‘good luck with that’. I walked into the Jerash Refugee Camp last week hopeful but at the back of my mind, I was nervous. The first day was tough but over the 7 days what I saw was this: Smiles, excitement, commitment, team work, resilience, caring, intelligence and so much more. The moms came on the 4th day to see what this was all about as the kids were ‘different’… I asked how: 1. Ali was waking up at 7am instead of 1pm2. My son is spending time trying to make their business better instead of being on the streets3. The kids are at the door by 8:30am even though the work shops start at 10am4. The day off that they had, they still came in and worked together5. We had girls as CEO’s of the companies working with boys6. They brought coffee and dates from home for the market as a marketing tool!7. Mohammad was telling his dad how he can make his business better!! And the list keeps going.I left feeling happy, hopeful, grateful and satisfied that the kids got to see the world in a different light. They have so much potential in them, all they need is a chance!! The mothers were happy that it was NOT charity and it was actually something they learned and benefited from so much. 7 days later, today is one of the happiest days since we started this journey and it is just the beginning!

By Daniel Martis, 23 I’m 23 and work in the finance field. The first time I attended a Bizworld event, I had hardly stepped out the elevator when I was met with a group of youth trying to sell me products they had made. One girl explained to me that she was part of Bizworld and that Bizworld taught her and her classmates entrepreneurship skills including marketing, accounting, finance, and operations. I was blown away by these kids’ amazing entrepreneurship and finance skills and I was instantly intrigued by Bizworld. These kids had been taught great interpersonal skills, including cooperation and compromise for the good of their company. They learned to talk things out and listen to everyone’s ideas, really thinking through the long-term ramifications of their decisions. After being in the work world only a few short years, I understand how critical these skills are, and I saw for myself that they can be learned at a young age. Learning entrepreneurship and business finance skills in elementary and middle school is an invaluable experience which can enrich these kids lives in any profession they choose. Having majored in business, I wish I was given the opportunity to learn about entrepreneurship and finance as a child. It’s an opportunity and privilege every kid should have. I was so impressed with the children I met and what they learned that I got really motivated to get involved. So now I’m a BizWorld.org volunteer and looking forward to helping this organization reach more kids that need these programs. If you are passionate about providing kids with exceptional educational opportunities that will better prepare them for life and their careers, join me!

Why I love BizWorld By Kari Andersen, CEO, BizWorld Denmark I’ve been honored to lead BizWorld in Denmark for the last 3 years. I was recently reminded of the power of the BizWorld program by a group of children, 3rd through 6th graders, who participated in a BizWorld after-school program at the Copenhagen International School (CIS) here in Denmark. These kids were in multi-age teams, the older ones taking the younger under their wings. Each team formed companies and together they worked to make products they could sell for money they wanted to raise for good causes. They worked hard on designing and manufacturing their own bookmarks and friendship bracelets, raising money from investors and developing their own marketing campaigns. They kept careful track of their finances along the way, making sure to manage their expenses while preparing for the big sales day. They were very motivated to do well since they wanted to help the CIS high school group that was working to support an orphanage in Peru, and a micro-credit program for women in Ghana. My favorite moment was when these kids, ages 8-12, presented their earnings to their fellow high schoolers. The pride and delight showed on their faces when they presented 1,000kr ($150) to their elder school mates. The high schoolers were clearly surprised at how much the BizWorld kids had accomplished. In the end, I believe everyone learned that you’re never too young to learn about the positive impact you can have on the world, and even young entrepreneurs can have a big impact. BizWorld has taught that lesson to our students in a way they will never forget.

It was a great evening! Our new friends and our seasoned supporters gave us plenty of reason to celebrate with their lively spirit and generous donations. Our young BizWorld alumni got a chance to show off their skills and impress our guests. We had a fantastic tribute to our founder, Tim Draper, who shared anecdotes and stories we’d never heard before. The photo booth was buzzing, the cake was amazing, and the champagne glasses were clinking! Most importantly, we raised enough funds to provide BizWorld programs to 15,000 deserving students around the US. If you were there to support us, give yourself a round of applause! Check out the evening’s photos here.

By Kara Brown, Education Manager Beep, beep, beep. Those three tones signaled the end of the school day for my eighth graders. Yet not a single student moved from their seat. All twenty-eight were still at their desks – eyes focused on the novel in their hands, listening intently as I finished a paragraph in The Outsiders. “Well,” I told the class, “it looks like we need to stop for the day. We’ll pick up here tomorrow.” A collective groan and a round of protests and pleas rose up from the class. “No Ms. B, can’t we keep going? We can stay; it’s ok!” This small moment may seem insignificant to some – not quite worthy of being deemed “my favorite teaching moment”, but for me it is. You see, this happened during my first year of teaching. For those that haven’t been there, I’m trying – and failing – to come up with a way to accurately describe exactly what that first year is like. Chaotic, overwhelming, and tiring are the first words that come to mind. That year, I worked harder than I ever have in my life: creating lesson plans, making up new lesson plans on the fly when that first one didn’t work out, and learning the ropes of classroom management. To top it all off, at the age of 22, I was suddenly a resource for parents who have questions about their 13-year old children. All of it was a shock to the system. Nevertheless, I persevered, determined that all my students would learn to love reading and writing just as much as I do. Some things are easier said than done, though. I tried my best: we wrote short stories and filmed them, we played games, we moved class outside….but nothing seemed to engage one group – my eighth period. This was my last class of the day; twenty-eight eighth graders and me crammed into a tiny portable with two chalkboards (yes, chalkboards…in 2007) and a TV strapped to a cart. Everyone was tired by that time of the day, and no matter how much a lesson plan dazzled my other classes, it would fall flat in this one. Because of these challenges, I lived for tiny moments like the one described at the beginning of the post – moments when I could say “Aha! They get it…and they’re enjoying it!” This one moment was proof positive that my students weren’t just passively listening to the book…they were lost in the novel, caught up in the battle between the Greasers and the Socs, and rooting for their newfound friend, Ponyboy.

Written by Thais Rezende “I knew the event would be powerful, but I didn’t realize it would bring me to tears,” was the comment I got from an audience member who introduced herself to me after the competition. A lot of others had similar comments when describing their experience during the World Wide Women Girls’ Festival, and our 1st BizWorld Girlpreneur Competition. We are all still smiling thinking about what this event meant to all these young entrepreneurs and the profound way it will influence their future. They could not have imagined they would be pitching their business ideas to top venture capitalists at this young age…. And they were amazing! We chose five companies with girls ranging from 8-17 years old, and all of them exuded passion, confidence, and smarts. These Girlpreneurs worked hard on their business ideas and were selected from a pool of many compelling entrants. At the end, a company had to be chosen as the winner and after much deliberation our judges selected MySelf. A company formed by sisters June, Ginger and Holly Bernstein of Mill Valley who bravely and boldly pitched to Tim, Mark and Sue, and answered tough questions to beat out the competition. Their prizes include $2,500 seed funding for their company and the gift of the BizWorld program to their own schools so that they can help inspire other young entrepreneurs. People in the audience also had a chance to vote for The People’s Choice winner, and they picked Lucia Patterson of Oakland, for her company, Lucy’s Sushi. 9 year old Lucia wowed the audience with her hard-hitting and well-executed business pitch, and left the judges practically speechless. I truly enjoyed seeing Sue, Mark and Tim interact with these Girlpreneurs. They treated them with such respect and truly cared about giving these young entrepreneurs good business advice for their companies. They were inspirational! WATCH LUCY’S SUSHI WORLD (VIDEO) As a mother of 3 girls, I couldn’t help but think these are the opportunities I want to see opening up for them. I want the world to realize they are powerful, smart, and full of great ideas. I want them to be respected, have a voice, and act upon their dreams. BizWorld is creating a better world for them and every child in the world. A world where they can take control of their financial future, be creative, and where there are no wrong answers, just learning opportunities. When we designed this competition, we had one thing in mind: to sprout the spirit of entrepreneurship among girls… and boy (girl) did we do that! At BizWorld, we believe entrepreneurship is a life skill. A life skill that needs to be learned by all kids just like math or English are learned at schools today. Not every child will be an entrepreneur when she or he grows up, just like not all of them will become mathematicians or writers; but we can inspire every child to become the architect of their future and empower them to transform their world through our entrepreneurship programs!

Written by Janet Lee, Education Manager “It takes a village…” This seems to be the recurring theme when working with youth in educational spaces. As I transitioned from the classroom into the nonprofit world, one of my main goals has been creating that bridge between community resources and the schools that they seek to serve. In order to make “real-world learning” happen effectively, our classrooms not only need funding and support from the communities, but also the authentic interactions and experience where students can begin to imagine and plan for their futures. BizWorld Camps provide such a unique opportunity for corporate sponsors to partner with a school and make a lasting impact as they empower students through entrepreneurship education. Earlier this month, thanks to the generosity of Bank of the West, we were able to bring the BizWorld Camp experience to a classroom of 4th and 5th graders from Garfield Elementary School in Oakland, CA. During this 2-day field trip, we invited Mr. Khalifah’s boys mentorship group to Bank of the West’s corporate center in San Ramon, CA and introduced the scholars to an unforgettable entrepreneurship experience. For many of the students, this was their first time in a corporate environment, and they were so excited! They were so eager to meet the employees who had volunteered their time, not to mention, entering and exiting through the fancy security entrance for the building which was a hit! Volunteers from the Bank of the West team served as venture capitalists, company advisors, and marketing consultants along the way to enhance this experience. The students shined as they presented their pitches to “VCs” and they were thrilled to work with volunteers as they learned all about running a successful business! It really did feel like an inspiring learning experience for everyone who participated. I loved watching the students light up as they worked in company groups to start and run their friendship bracelet businesses. Of course, we faced some challenges and disagreements about which color raw materials to purchase or what the company logo should look like, but hey, that’s real life, and we all learned to work through it. The classroom teacher, Mr. Khalifah, reflected on the experience saying that there were “lots of ‘aha! moments’ in terms of decision-making, cause and effect, and using math skills to practice financial responsibility.” He also noted that many soft skills were highlighted such as working on self-control, collaborating with team members, and practicing leadership roles. The students also shared little nuggets of information that they learned from the experience: All useful advice, even for adults!

Our 5th Annual Awards Dinner inspired and brought together nearly 300 business leaders throughout California and students from four local schools. Guests came to the Park Central Hotel in San Francisco last Tuesday evening, April 19, to support BizWorld.org and honor Meg Whitman, President and CEO of HPE with the Excellence in Leadership award. Twice a year BizWorld.org comes together to celebrate the impact our innovative programs are having in children’s’ lives around the world and honor one of today’s prominent leaders who serve as role models to these kids. In addition, we also introduced the Bill Porter Award to honor the legacy of the late William Porter, co-founder of E-trade and International Securities Exchange. Two well-known individuals, Alison Davis and Kelly Porter, co-chaired our awards dinner. Our deepest appreciation goes out to them for their leadership and commitment to the success of the event. The evening kicked off with guests networking at a cocktail reception. Guests then came were welcomed by the night’s vibrant emcee, creator and host of The Valley Girl Show and CEO of Valley Girl, Inc., Jesse Draper. BizWorld.org’s CEO Thais Rezende gave an inspiring keynote address, impressing the crowd with the organization’s accomplishments and goals for the future. She highlighted that BizWorld has reached nearly 600,000 children with our programs in over 100 countries around the world! She also announced BizWorld’s newest innovation called the BizWorld Impact Challenge that gives children the opportunity to run their own businesses, but also develop their roles as active citizens in their communities and give their profits to social causes of their choosing. Check out our Impact Challenge video. We were pleased to also have a special guest speaker, Sherri Wright, BizWorld teacher from Hidden Hills Elementary in San Ramon, CA, speak about her BizWorld classroom experience and the positive and lasting impact BizWorld has had on her students and their families. Her heartfelt remarks were greeted by a standing ovation from the crowd – bravo Sherri! After accepting her award, Meg Whitman and our founder Tim Draper had a highly entertaining and absorbing fireside chat covering a wide range of topics. Meg noted that she is happy to see innovative programs like BizWorld available in schools because they inspire confidence in children as they grow. We’d like to thank everyone who attended the event, as well as our amazing sponsors and volunteers who made the event possible. Thank you for your support and commitment to BizWorld.org! Press Release