A Day In The Life of Trenton's MOB Program

LAWRENCE-- Trenton area youth meet at Rider University this summer to learn more about the world of business. Wednesday morning, Anwar's Reflections-- a Trentonian affiliate-- sat in on the summer program, Minding Our Business (MOB), sponsored by Rider University's College of Business Administration. The purpose of the program is to give inner city youth the opportunity to learn business and entrepreneurial skills.

To start the day off, sixth, seventh, and eighth graders from Trenton Public Schools were asked to convene for the morning roll call and snack at 8:30 am. From there, the youngsters were given their morning quiz. Once the quiz ended, students were split up into teams and sent off to either their entrepreneurship class, their math course, or the reading class. The kids that completed all their assignments were then given the chance to play and have fun in the university's pool.

During the program, one student, Jordan, said he planned on creating a toy business. Another student, Paris, said she was going to create a business where you can get affordable socks and headbands. Another student said that she had thoughts of creating a business where you customers can get a taste of homemade cookies and milkshakes.

Entrepreneurship coach Kevin Wortham challenged yet encouraged the students to create a business plan that would grabs people's attention and give them a competitive advantage. Math teacher, Mr. Mike, spoke to students about the importance of good record keeping and organization. Reading specialist Martha Higginbotham encouraged students to open up and share their experiences being an inner city youth.

The program is still in process. They are having a market fair at PJ Hill School Saturday, July 9th. The school is located at 1010 East State Street, Trenton, New Jersey. If you would like to get involved, feel free to contact Dr. Sigfrido Hernandez at 609-896-5509.

Please see videos of what I observed Wednesday during the program: