All youth workers in Camden were invited to participate. Training participants received a set of the New Youth Entrepreneur curriculum and a companion trainer?s manual to use in incorporating entrepreneurship elements within their youth programs. Using the knowledge and skills gained through the training, the JRC, a private not-for-profit alternative high school, and Hopeworks, a faith-based not-for-profit IT training organization, introduced an entrepreneurship component into their basic course work. The JRC developed and offered an entrepreneurship course both as an elective during the school year and as a summer program. Hopeworks strongly supported youth entrepreneurial adventures as a ?create a job? scenario by offering an entrepreneurship course. Students who participated in the entrepreneurship programs at JRC and Hopeworks completed a business plan, and then implemented that plan as a sole proprietor or partnership with other students. Youth also had the option of applying for a micro-loan to cover start up costs, set up as part of the Consortium?s program. Funds totaling $15,000 from the Camden Empowerment Zone were set aside for loan purposes. EDTEC convened the loan committee with members from each of the participating organizations in the Consortium. Students submitted a loan application to the Consortium whose members then approved or denied the loan request.

Students, Matthew Colay and Matthew Gilbert, from the JRC borrowed money from the micro-loan fund to start a school-based store selling school supplies, candy, and novelty items. The store opened in March 2002, and the two business owners reported profits within the first week. They expect to repay their business loan by October 2002. After completing the New Youth Entrepreneur curriculum, Marcus Williams from Hopeworks used micro-loan money to created Web Masters with his friend Rolando Pomales. Williams and Pomales were hired by the non-profit agency Urban Promise of Camden to provide computer training to its customers. They used the loan to rent the Hopeworks office where they trained approximately a dozen Urban Promise participants for six Saturdays. Williams and Pomales paid off their loan, and realized a profit in their first week of operation.

The Consortium project is a proven success not just anecdotally, but by measured knowledge and skills gains. Rutgers CME undertook a comprehensive evaluation of the project measuring both quantitative and qualitative results. Based on pre- and post-test results, adult participants in the Entrepreneurship Training Institutes experienced knowledge gains of 42 percent. Pre and post-tests revealed that increases the knowledge about entrepreneurship for students enrolled in the JRC were an equally impressive 44 percent, while among Hopeworks students, post-test scores increased an astounding 93 percent from pre-test scores.

To support the budding entrepreneurship programs at JRC, Hopeworks, and other Camden organizations, EDTEC created the Camden Youth Web site. Located at www.camdenyouth.net the site contains information on starting a youth program, selecting a curriculum, teacher tips and techniques, and government, foundation and private resources to support entrepreneurship. EDTEC also created an on-line business plan tool to encourage business plan development. Accessed through the web site, youth can complete and update their business plan on line by answering a series of questions about their business idea. The program is password protected, so only the author can access his or her plan.