About Us
"I first heard about The B. Side because there was an information booth set up at my school and one of the counselors thought that it would be a good opportunity for me. What drew me to stick with coming was that I always wanted to own my own business. I want to be able to share my ideas and watch them come alive. With all of my ideas I just need a place to put them all to action."
Lauren Barnes-Whitehead
Young Mogul
Our Mission
The B. Side incubates ideas and projects of youth to foster a culture of entrepreneurship. These projects are supported through enterprise, business education and mentor relationships, which teach self-sufficiency, and the initiative in realizing their self-defined goals. Through The B. Side, youth are promoted as an asset within the local business landscape.
The B. Side: The Business Side of Youth is a program of Eastern Michigan University’s (EMU) Office of Academic Service-Learning (AS-L). The B. Side of Youth was launched in 2007 with support from AAACF, RNR Foundation, and the James A. and Faith Knight Foundation, our primary goals were to improve area youth’s academic success through an entrepreneurship curriculum focusing on rigor, relevancy, and relationships. Through The B. Side, youth would experience the relevancy of business as it applies to school, be connected to valuable relationships, and thus would persevere through high school to graduation. Ultimately, the vision was to cultivate a culture of entrepreneurship in the community.
In our third year, The B. Side program’s goals and actions steps have changed reflecting a refining and focusing on the overall program. However, The B. Side’s primary goal, to foster a culture of entrepreneurship with area youth through curriculum, mentoring, business plan development and implementation, skills training, and internship goals has remain unchanged. Working to cultivate a culture of entrepreneurship provides participating youth the tools to chart their own academic and professional path.
The B. Side stimulates business and professional skills, encourage creative and intelligent risk taking, and instills financial independence and community responsibility in youth ages 13-20. Over its three years The B. Side has been a part of multiple collaborations, both on campus and off, and has provided consulting work that has expanded the age of youth served to 25 based on the programming being provided. The four main components of The B. Side program are:
B. Side Basics
Young Moguls Club (YMC)
B. Side Enterprises
B. Side of A(rt).
