Our Program

YEP! is an entirely free entrepreneurship program for high school students from underresourced communities. The program is hosted at universities and is facilitated by university students.

YEP! was founded in 2019 by three Brown University students: Audrey Shapiro, Lucia Winton, and Leah Lam to address strained town-gown relations and the lack of entrepreneurial opportunities for high schoolers.  Our program has three missions:

  • YEP! aims to develop capable entrepreneurs who will grow the resources and wealth of their respective communities.

  • YEP! hopes to grow its participants' confidence.

  • YEP! strives to improve the relationship between universities and their local community.

Over the past three years, YEP! has worked with over 450 students. In 2024, YEP! will work with over 300 students.

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Our Curriculum

YEP! currently offers two programming options: a day of entrepreneurship and a semester long after-school program.

Our day of entrepreneurship event is a one-day crash course into entrepreneurship. Throughout the day, students will learn a clear entrepreneurial process and get a chance to develop their own ventures in teams. Students will also get to hear from a guest speaker, have lunch with university students, and get to connect with other local high school students who are interested in entrepreneurship. Our day of entrepreneurship is a great way to learn about YEP!’s programming and get an introduction to entrepreneurship.

Our semester-long after-school program is a 5-7 week long program. This program allows students to recieve more in-depth exposure to entrepreneurship. For the first hour of the program, students learn about a new entrepreneurial skill and hear from a guest speaker. For the second hour of the program, students work to apply this skill to an entrepreneurial endeavor they develop over the course of the program. YEP! culminates in a pitch night where students are able to pitch their venture to investors and entrepreneurs.

Let’s Work Together