Youth About Business (Samuel E Kirk Sr)

Youth About Business program was the first program we established 30 years ago when Sam Kirk left his corporate job at The Southwestern Company. This program has a year round leadership development program and online business academy. Youth About Business has reached over 9,000 young people over their 30-year history. Their focus has been on preparing diverse talent for the career world. Their model uniquely prepares this pool of students with professional skill sets that they can use in their chosen career path. The Youth About Business school-year leadership program offers students the hands-on experience of running a business as well as introducing students to complex business concepts. The Youth About Business Summer experience brings students to universities across the country to participate in a Merger and Acquisition simulation. During this experience, students learn from and network with top-level executives at international companies like Bloomberg, Epic Brokers and Consultants, Truist Financial, JPMorgan, Deloitte, Ernst & Young, Moody's, Alston and Bird, and Sony. These experiences help young people understand the complex operations of business and finance, while developing the critical thinking and analytical skills they can use in their personal and professional lives. Over the past two years, Youth About Business pivoted to a fully virtual model increasing their reach to over 18 states, and 4 countries.