Boys & Girls Clubs of Sarasota and DeSoto Counties Graduates 22 Youth

January 28, 2022 – Sarasota

Boys & Girls Clubs of Sarasota and DeSoto Counties’ award-winning STAR (Students Taking Active Roles) Leadership Training Program and PYE (Perlman-Price Young Entrepreneurs) Program have recently graduated 22 local high-school teens.

STAR stands for Students Taking Active Roles and provides students with leadership skills and community service opportunities through a comprehensive 10-week program ending with a youth-led service project. This fall, STAR students secured non-perishable donations from local organizations and distributed these items, in partnership with Harvest House, to those in our community facing hunger and homelessness..

Teens who graduated from the STAR program include: Aiden N., Pine View School; Ciara P., Sarasota High School; Daria T., Pine View School; Fabian O., Sarasota High School; Grace S., Cardinal Mooney; Laura M., Riverview High School; Lynn Y., Southeast High School; Makaela W., Suncoast Polytechnical High School; Miya O., Sarasota High School; Mykayla G., Booker High School; Nazaria D., Sarasota High School; Nia W., Booker High School; and Serenity F., Sarasota High School.

Although the program has ended, the graduates are continuing their leadership development by serving as full-voting members of county or city advisory boards, on boards of directors for local non-profits or on community-wide committees focused on social issues. Currently, more than 80 community board partners allow a STAR Leadership Training Program graduate to sit as a full-voting member on their board.

The Perlman Price Young Entrepreneurs (PYE) Program introduces participants to the principles of entrepreneurship. In doing so, students learn how to identify and research a business opportunity, write a business plan, and, finally, pitch their plan to leaders from the community in order to compete for start-up funding for their business or nonprofit opportunity.

Fall 2021 Perlman Price Young Entrepreneurs (PYE) Program participants include: Alan R., Sarasota High School; Aundrayah M., Booker High School; Bernadette N., Riverview High School; Dani I., Riverview High School; Ella S., Venice High School; Jose A., Booker High School; Pranav M., Pine View School; Ryan P., Riverview High School; and Yazmin S., Riverview High School. 

Each PYE graduate received 65+ hours of entrepreneurial education throughout this program and developed critical thinking, leadership and financial literacy skills through practical business exposure and mentorships with local leaders in the entrepreneurial field. Throughout the program, teens identify business opportunities, develop a written and visual business plan and compete for seed funding to launch their business! This season, three teens were awarded seed funds to help start their businesses. The first-place winner was Bernadette N., who was awarded $3,000 in seed funding for S.H.A.R.E. Wholeness, a non-profit working to fight food deserts in Sarasota County. The second-place winners were Yazmin S. for Magnetic Mentors, a non-profit aiming to connect high schoolers with college mentors during the college application process; and Ryan P. for Marching Manager, a for-profit business that improves lyre for band instruments and stores band drill/music charts on a mobile app.. Both second-place winners were awarded $1500 in seed funding. All three will be paired with mentors who can help them further develop their business initiatives. 

STAR and PYE are offered three times each year at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Sarasota and DeSoto Counties. Applications are now open for the Spring 2022 cohorts. High school students who are interested in participating in either STAR Leadership Training or our Perlman-Price Young Entrepreneurs Program can learn more by visiting theclubsdc.org or calling 941-366-3911.