"NFTE's mission is to provide entrepreneurship education programs to young people from low-income communities. Our vision is that every young person will find a pathway to prosperity."

That's the pledge and promise offered by the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship, an international educational program that operates in 21 states and 12 countries.

And it seems to be making good on that promise, according to Alice Horn, executive director of NFTE's South Florida office.

Horn says she loves seeing how much the students change through the course of the program. "When you see the student at the beginning of the program, sometimes you see shyness, you see awkwardness, you might even see a little resistance to social interaction." By the end of the program, however, "many of them have overcome that, as a result of the self-confidence that owning a business gives them, as well as the presentation skills of presenting a business plan can deliver to them."

What NFTE does for students, Horn says, is connect the real world of business to academics. "In this day of standardized testing, our students desperately need to see, feel and touch the real world," Horn says. She sees entrepreneurship courses as the answer. "It gives [students] a tangible way of understanding what learning is all about and what the future could hold for them," she says.

"Often their horizons are expanded, and young people who did not think they were going to college suddenly understand that higher education is important."

The organization and teenagers from its 2008 competition are chronicled in the documentary Ten9Eight, which follows 35 of last year's student contestants on their journey to the finals of the OppenheimerFunds/Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship Challenge. The film's release will be a centerpiece of Global Entrepreneurship Week on Nov. 16-22.

Competition is an important part of the program. At the end of the school year, students go from classroom competitions to semifinal and regional competitions, Horn explains. The top two students from the regional competitions can go on to the Oppenheimer/NFTE national competition in New York, with its $10,000 grand prize.

Judges consider a number of criteria, says Josephine Kling, CEO of Seasite: 

1. Does the idea have merit?
   
2. Presentation skills: Does the student know the material and is he or she covering the critical things?
   
3. Can the business ramp up to a production level?
   
4. Have the costs been worked out?
   
5. Is there a marketing plan?
   
6. Why is now the right time for the product?
   
7. Who's your competition?
   
8. How well has the student anticipated potential problems that could arise?

Kling adds that she was amazed at how seriously the kids took the class and how focused they were. She says the course has even changed some students' attitude about school. "When you can make a practical application of your learning, the learning becomes that much more meaningful," she says.

Last year's grand prize winner, Jessica Cervantes, came from the South Florida program. Now 19, she's launched her business, Popsy Cakes, on a part-time basis while she attends The Honors College at Miami-Dade College. (For more about Cervantes, read "Teen Confection No Half-Baked Idea.")

According to Horn, "She just blew the judges away with her poise and her polish, her mastery of the numbers and her sense of humor. She's an outstanding example of what the program can do."

Horn says the judges look for a polished plan with sound numbers and a great presentation. But they're also looking for scalability. "I think [Jessica's presentation] had that combination of ingredients and flawless delivery."

The Miami chapter of NFTE has been pioneering a unique approach to entrepreneurship, with courses that begin at the middle-school level and continue through high school and college. Called The Youth Entrepreneurship Pathway, it's a partnership among NFTE, Miami Dade Public Schools, Miami Dade College and The Launch Pad, a career-center program at the University of Miami.

NFTE courses fit many different molds, according to Horn. While some NFTE instructors teach entrepreneurship, others include it in vocational courses. It might be taught as part of a car-repair course, for example. "Obviously, the student could graduate and not only have the vocational skills but also the entrepreneurial skills to back it up," Horn says. "Entrepreneurship is not a cookie-cutter science. It should be adaptable to different disciplines and mom-and-pop approaches, as well as larger visions for business," she adds.

"South Florida is such a fertile place to be doing this work," Horn says, "because we have so many immigrants who come here eager to start businesses. So it's a great market for the work that we do."