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SCOE, County Board support Youth Business Week (3/2/06)

One of my personal commitments as County Superintendent of Schools is to establish and maintain community connections that can benefit Sonoma County's public schools and the 72,000 students we serve. In January, I learned of an important community engagement opportunity-to join in sponsoring Youth Business Week 2006-and I'm pleased to tell you that SCOE, the Sonoma County Board of Education, and our Career Development/ROP department have all agreed to support this career-focused learning opportunity for high school students. This is an excellent example of how working together on shared goals can yield positive results for students!

Youth Business Week was first offered in Sonoma County in 2000 and serves 100-150 students annually. It creates a hands-on learning environment where students can explore what it would be like to start and run their own business. During five full days of activity, students are immersed in discussions, decision-making exercises, computer simulations, and work groups led by local business leaders as they build a "company" from the ground up.

Each year, I've had the opportunity to see Youth Business Week in action. I've watched students apply what they've been learning in school as they work to sell others on their business concepts, solicit and allocate resources, and justify their decisions. This "real life" learning experience has earned enthusiastic support from the business community. On an annual basis, over 200 business volunteers lend their expertise, about 25 companies provide underwriting, and many more sponsor individual students or donate goods and services.

This is, without question, an exemplary business-education partnership that strengthens SCOE's established goal to "provide countywide leadership and support for career education that is academically rigorous and aligned with the workforce preparation needs of our county." I'm very proud that the Sonoma County Office of Education, Sonoma County Board of Education, and our Regional Occupational Program are among its leading sponsors.
-Carl Wong, Ed.D., Superintendent of Schools