A new after-school program for Harford County middle schoolers aims to equip aspiring entrepreneurs with knowledge, mentorships and a business plan to start their own businesses.

The Chosen to RISE: Next Generation Entrepreneurship Academy will launch next school year according to local nonprofit Chosen Community Development Corp.

Students will learn how to read business markets, develop and refine a business plan, and present and pitch their ideas via competitions and workshops.

“We want to introduce students to the right ways to make money to counter all of the negative influences that are in the area,” said Warline Bryant, president of Chosen Community Development’s board of directors. “We do this by tooling them for business success by talking to them about career readiness, business ownership, and connecting them with positive influences in the business community.”

Bryant said the program will ask Harford business leaders to mentor students and work with them as they develop business plans. Subject experts will also help mentor students and provide insight on things such as how they started their business, marketing, business law and financing.

“We have a conglomerate that is a mixture of all types of professionals on the Chosen Community Development staff, and we want to introduce students to more business-type ideas,” Bryant said. “We have even more partners jumping on board to help.”

Bryant noted that the program is supported by the Harford County Chamber of Commerce and will be working with local institutions such as Aberdeen Proving Ground to provide students with resources to start a business in a variety of fields, including science and engineering.

Partnering local businesses can provide prizes for students, give feedback on student business plans, and potentially provide grant money to students to help further their venture.

The entrepreneurship academy was built off a needs assessment conducted by Chosen Community Development. The assessment discovered that a low percentage of businesses in Aberdeen and Edgewood are small businesses.

The program’s name incorporates the acronym “RISE” — Resilient Innovators Strive for Excellence — due to the program’s goal of raising the number of small businesses in Harford County’s historically underserved communities.

“It is about what we plant in our communities, what we give back and legacy building,” Bryant said. “If we teach kids about business and entrepreneurship when they are young, they will generate their own wealth, reinvest in their community, and be an example for everyone around them.

The academy is open to all middle schoolers in Harford County Public Schools. Students in the program will meet after school once a week at Aberdeen Middle School starting in October and running through February.

Chosen Community Development received an $80,000 grant from Harford County through the Community Reinvestment and Repair Fund, which will be used to fund student transportation to program meetings, field trips and competitions, course materials and more.

Harford County Public Schools and the Chosen Community Development Corp. will meet in the coming weeks to finalize program details. Students interested in joining the academy can sign up at chosencdc.org/home.

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