WHY ATB AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Have you ever wondered why some people are so successful—whether at life or running their own businesses and other enterprises? Entrepreneurs achieve success by believing in the power of their ideas, having the confidence to take risks and to fail, persevering and overcoming obstacles, recognizing opportunities, and finding new and better ways to solve problems. As a youth leader working with kids ages 8 to 12, how can you empower kids to discover and develop these skills? With the All Terrain Brain (ATB) materials and resources, you can help the kids you work with develop the critical- and creative-thinking skills they need to feel hopeful and empowered about their futures. Through innovative, engaging activities, a rich online experience, and lively music-driven video messages, ATB inspires kids to discover their passions, think creatively and independently, take responsibility, embrace change, persevere, be effective problem solvers, and much more. ATB helps prepare kids to participate actively and productively in all aspects of their lives and to consider a wide range of options for what they want to do, to be, and to become. After their Team ATB experience, some kids may want to start their own small business or become more active in their community. All kids will gain a clearer sense of their strengths and weaknesses, skills, abilities, and talents. This clarity will help them make good choices, face daily challenges, and, ultimately, succeed in life. Why focus on entrepreneurship? Entrepreneurs are important contributors to society. They stimulate economic growth by creating new businesses, generally in response to opportunities they identify, and providing jobs and prosperity. From inventing the light bulb to the personal computer, entrepreneurs enrich the lives of others as well as themselves. Often, they are some of the most politically and socially involved individuals in the community, giving their time, energy, and financial resources to a wide range of important initiatives and causes.
ATB ENTREPRENEURIAL CONCEPTS
Here are the key entrepreneurial concepts covered in the Guide. WHAT'S AN ENTREPRENEUR? Entrepreneur: a person who starts a new business, generally in response to identified opportunities. Entrepreneurs are creative, believe in themselves, take risks, and persevere through challenges. BE WHATEVER YOU WANT TO BE Passion: something you love so much that it helps shape your interests and maybe your life Sense of Self: knowing who you are and why you are unique Strength in Individuality: gaining confidence from your unique skills and abilities Motivation: the internal drive that makes you want to do something Self-Regulated Learner: investing in your own learning to help build your skills Self-Efficacy: believing that you have what it takes to succeed in any situation I’m in Charge of Myself: accepting that your actions and ultimately your success are up to you Goal Setting: identifying what you want to achieve MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN YOUR COMMUNITY, YOUR GOVERNMENT, AND THE WORLD Systems Thinking: analyzing smaller pieces of something to see how they relate Participatory Democracy: using your voice and power to impact your local community, the nation, and the world Community Impact: taking actions to make a difference in the lives of those around you, your neighborhood, or the world Ability to Influence/Lead: possessing qualities that motivate others CREATE SOMETHING GREAT Independent Thinking: having your own thoughts and ideas that do not rely on the thinking of others Exploration: trying and finding new paths Inquiry: asking targeted questions Ideation: creating and sharing new ideas Creativity and Innovation: looking at things in new and imaginative ways SUCCEED NO MATTER WHAT Taking Responsibility: owning your actions Ability to Embrace Change: accepting that things change and turning those changes into new opportunities Risk Taking: having the confidence to take chances and to do so in a responsible way Lateral Thinking: looking at a problem from new and different perspectives Persistence/Perseverance: trying to reach your goals no matter what the obstacles Problem Solving: exploring new ways to address questions, difficulties, and uncertainty Learning Through Failure: examining situations that don’t work out to see what they can teach you
HOW TO USE THIS GUIDE
To get the most out of ATB, we suggest that you set up a Team ATB—an innovative and engaging entrepreneurship club. (For information on how to organize a club, see Create a Team ATB.) If you can’t establish a Team ATB club due to time or other constraints, you can also integrate any of the individual activities into your existing program to enrich it. For suggestions on planning activities for your program, see the Activity Pathways. The Activities The Guide is divided into six activity units. All units, except Team ATB Launch and Team ATB Wrap-Up, contain three major types of activities that are based on the 25 ATB Entrepreneurial Concepts. The activities can be used in sequence or as standalone experiences. Each activity description includes everything you need: time, materials, goals, procedures, questioning and discussion strategies, and follow-up activities, if applicable.
JUMPSTARTERs are short (15 minutes or less) activities that begin the exploration process. They provide kids with “A-ha” moments related to the units’ concepts. EXPLORE IT! activities are slightly longer (20 to 30 minutes) and help kids further explore and make sense or meaning of the units’ concepts. They are designed for different learning styles and include drawing, writing, and movement. IN_DEPTH activities are longer and more involved (45 minutes). They help kids use the skills learned in previous activities and to reinforce the entrepreneurial concepts.
You’ll notice that two units are structured slightly differently. Team ATB Launch does not include an IN_DEPTH activity. Team ATB Wrap-Up contains a series of ideas for celebrating and concluding the Team ATB club. Reproducible Handouts Some of the activities include handouts for the kids to use during the club meetings. These are located at the end of each activity unit. Additional Activity Ideas All the elements in the activity units are designed as learning opportunities for kids. In addition to the three types of activities mentioned above, each unit also includes a thought-provoking quotation and a real-life entrepreneur profile. The quotation offers an opportunity for kids to share their own knowledge and thinking, and to make meaning of the theme. The profile exemplifies the unit’s themes and concepts and can inspire kids. Both the quote and the profile include follow-up questions and suggestions. Team ATB Web Challenge At the end of each session, give kids the Team ATB Web Challenge to complete after the meeting and present at the next meeting. Typically, a challenge is suggested in each activity unit (enough for a 10-meeting Team ATB). Kids can earn 3 Team ATB Bucks for each non-badge challenge they complete. If you extend your program and need additional challenges, simply go to the ATB web site. (You may want to provide kids without computer access at home the opportunity to complete the Team ATB Web Challenges on your organization’s computer(s) or suggest that they use a computer at their local library.) Team ATB Bucks Kids can earn Team ATB Bucks for participating in various club activities where indicated and for certain online Team ATB Web Challenges. They can redeem their Team ATB Bucks for small prizes from the Team ATB Store you will set up. Resources Theme-related resources (web sites and books) are provided at the end of each unit. They offer background, additional information, and more ideas and activities for you and the kids. There are General Resources at the end of this guide. Team ATB Membership Card Kids receive Team ATB Membership Cards at the first Team ATB meeting. These are also available in the Educators Printables section of the ATB web site. Team ATB Entrepreneur Award The Team ATB Entrepreneur Award is a certificate of participation presented to kids at the end of the Team ATB club. The ATB Entrepreneur Award is also available in the Educators Printables section of the ATB web site. The DVD The Team ATB Activity Guide is designed to stand alone—the activities do not require watching the videos. However, if you have a DVD player and monitor/TV available, the videos can greatly enhance the Team ATB experience. We recommend showing a video as the beginning activity for the first meeting of each activity unit. Videos related to the unit’s concepts are listed on the first page of the unit and includes a featured video(s) and follow-up questions. The DVD (on the inside back cover) contains all of the 25 videos. The videos are also available online at the ATB web site allterrainbrain.org; click on ATB TV.
