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Students representing tribes across the state will gain real-world business experience they can apply toward starting their own enterprises.

By Rebecca Ruiz-McGill, University Communications
July 14, 2008

The Native Nations Institute at The University of Arizona each summer builds entrepreneurial skills among youth, including planning, implementation and day-to-day operation of a business, during its Native American Youth Entrepreneur Camp.

The camp recruits students from Arizona's 22 tribes to enroll and learn how to start their own businesses. This year, the camp will be held July 20-25.

“The idea behind the weeklong camp is to plant a seed that these kids can do it for themselves. If they have a dream of owning a restaurant; we teach them to start small scale – after school, in the summer and on the weekends – with a small business like selling burritos with their family on the reservation. We teach them about economics, pricing, marketing, reinvestment and presentation both of their product and themselves,” said Joan Timeche, assistant director of the Native Nations Institute and creator of the Youth Entrepreneur Camp.

Timeche started the camp while working as the director of the Center for American Indian Economic Development at Northern Arizona University. When she accepted the post at the UA’s Native Nations Institute in 2001, she brought the program with her.

Timeche’s goal of improving economic conditions on the Indian reservations blended well with the Native Nations Institute’s mission to support the self-governance of Indian nations. “Only a few brave first-generation American Indian business owners realized that establishing a tribal member-owned business would create jobs and improve the standard of living while keeping dollars circulating on the reservation. I believe that exposing our Native youth to the world of entrepreneurship will help to expand the private sector and improve economic conditions on reservations in the future,” Timeche added.

The camp teaches high school juniors, seniors and recent graduates the basics of economics, computer skills and business plan preparation. The $650 tuition fee covers housing, meals, session materials, instruction and extracurricular fees and many who attend are sponsored with scholarships paid for by reservation youth councils, school business clubs, tribal enterprises and local businesses.

During the camp, students have the opportunity to meet and seek advice from American Indian businesspeople through classroom visits and field trips to nearby Native-owned businesses.

This year's guest speaker – Karlene Hunter, the founder and principal owner of Lakota Express, a direct marketing business – will share her experience with the students. Hunter, a Lakota tribal member, built Lakota Express from a corner in her basement; today it is one of the largest nongovernment employers on the Pine Ridge Reservation. She has also recently co-founded Native American Natural Foods and launched the Tanka Bar, Tanka Trail and Tanka Bite. 

Another opportunity the camp’s youth will experience is Youth Marketplace Day. On day four of the camp, the young entrepreneurs are given the opportunity to run their own businesses. They are issued $10 in venture capital funds to purchase a wholesale inventory item and then resell the item on the Pascua Yaqui Reservation. The Youth Marketplace teaches students sales techniques, pricing, cash management and record keeping while building confidence in personal interactions with customers in a real-world setting.

The camp ends with a Business Plan Showcase, where students present their business plans and are awarded venture capital from $25 to $100 for the most promising ideas.

The camp also provides the students with a university experience. Students sleep in residence halls, eat at the Student Union and attend classes on the UA campus. They also interact with current UA American Indian students, who share life experiences and goals and help the students with computer skills and the development of their business plans.

“The plan is to have these students know what their potential is, know that the UA cares about their future and is an open and welcoming campus, and also that these entrepreneurial skills can be developed through further education. They can start up businesses, become CEO of a tribal enterprise or find jobs in government or the public sector. Or if they aspire to become chair of their nation, these skills can be used there, too,” Timeche said.