Minding Your Bu$iness
Equipping Youth for Skilled Trades & Entrepreneurship
Equipping Youth for Skilled Trades & Entrepreneurship
For many students, the pressure of planning for college and navigating its rising costs is overwhelming. Families struggle with escalating tuition rates and uncertainty about how to position their children for success. What most youth do not realize is that there are lucrative and respected career paths outside of the traditional four-year college track—careers that provide stability, growth, and income potential without the burden of massive student debt.
OUR RESPONSE
The Institute for Creative Community Initiatives (ICCI) is launching a new 2026 mentoring curriculum: Minding Your Bu$iness. This program will broaden students’ horizons by exposing them to skilled trades and entrepreneurial career options that are both viable and rewarding.
Through Minding Your Bu$iness, students will gain:
PHASE 1: Enrichment Program
PHASE 2: Enrichment Program
Phased Expansion Rationale
By pairing YES! with Minding Your Bu$iness, ICCI will provide Prince George’s County youth with a comprehensive menu of options: support in finishing high school, tools to succeed in life, and clear pathways to both traditional college and nontraditional careers in trades and entrepreneurship.
Together, these programs empower students to make informed, confident choices about their futures—whether that future includes college, a skilled trade, or business ownership.