The Greater Macon Chamber of Commerce is excited to offer the second year of Macon-Bibb County’s Young Entrepreneurs Academy, which transforms middle and high school students into business owners through weekly entrepreneurship classes and will be offered this fall.

YEA! Macon launched its first year in 2016 as the only such program in Georgia, thanks to partnerships with the Bibb County School District, Mercer University’s Stetson School of Business and SparkMacon, as well as the support of 20 program sponsors and over 50 community volunteers. The inaugural program graduated 20 students, from local public, private and home schools, who launched 16 new companies and received $12,000 from Macon Chamber supporters to help start their businesses.

Macon’s YEA! was also selected as the only first-year program to receive a YEA! National Director’s Award, out of the over 100 cities in which YEA! operates in the United States and India. To see a video recapping the inaugural year, visit www.bit.ly/yeamaconvideo.

The Macon Chamber is launching the second year of this successful program, thanks to the continuing support of its launch partners, as well as 16 local sponsors, including the Peyton Anderson Foundation. Classes for YEA! Macon will be held each Tuesday, at Mercer University’s Innovation Center, from October 2017 through May 2018, from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m.

During YEA!, students ages 11 to 18 are led through the process of developing business ideas and plans, pitching to investors and launching their own companies. The hands-on curriculum is enhanced by local business and community members, across a variety of industries, who volunteer as mentors, field trip hosts and guest speakers. The program also develops the local workforce by teaching students both professional and personal skills that can apply to any field they choose to enter and serve as their foundation to becoming future business leaders.

Two YEA! Macon information sessions are being hosted for all interested students, parents and community members on Monday, August 14, 2017, and Monday, August 21, 2017, from
6 to 7 p.m., at the Macon Chamber, which is located at 305 Coliseum Drive in Macon, Georgia.

Applications for YEA! Macon will be accepted until August 31, 2017. To learn more about applying or volunteering for the program, please visit: www.bit.ly/yeamacon.