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About Siletz news / (Siletz, OR) 199?-current | View Entire Issue (July 1, 2011)
Students look to future, learn effort equals reward in small business class Youth earn funding for tie-dyed clothing and video game development after writing business plans By Diane Rodriquez If you think some of today’s youth don’t know how to put in a hard day’s work, you should have spent some time in the Youth Entrepreneur and Leader ship Project (YELP) class at Siletz Valley Early College Academy this spring. Nine students completed the class and between them created business plans for tie-dyed clothing, an arcade and video game design. The class was sponsored by the Siletz Tribal Business Corporation and was funded through a $27,000 grant from the Spirit Mountain Community Fund. It focused on a core curriculum produced by ONABEN (Oregon Native Ameri can Business Entrepreneurial Network) called Indianpreneurship. It included a mentoring/shadowing program, a busi ness plan competition and funding for two of the businesses. Nearly 20 students started the pro gram and learned about the ingredients of a business plan, listened to presentations from owners of small businesses and went on field trips to local small businesses. Several students opted to stay on for the second part of the course, which was put ting together a business plan. “Some kids thought the funding wouldn’t really happen - and then it did!” said Chiles Items are custom-designed - buyers have their choice of size and color and even can choose to have words ironed on after the tie-dye process is completed. Products that may get added to the mix include sweatshirts, sweatpants, tank tops, hats and bags. They’ve sold about 20 T-shirts so far, mainly to family and friends, and are raising awareness about their products through word-of-mouth and flyers posted at the school, local businesses and Tribal buildings. The team is thinking about setting up a booth at the Toledo Summer Festival in July and the Nesika Illahee Pow-Wow in August. Other business plans developed include one by Joe Williams for an arcade in Siletz and another by Kai Florendo, Chayson Metcalf and Jaycub Westbrook to design Web-based games for Apple products. This project received $400 for hardware and a one-year subscription to a development/programming service provided by Apple. Help from local business owner The students received help from Siletz residents Chris Rabideau (Cherokee descendant) and his wife, Angela (Siletz), who operate Ferret Mojo Entertainment. Their business develops family-friendly indie games for the Xbox 360 that are available on the Internet (ferretmojo.com). “I originally presented information on our Ferret Mojo business, but then I was asked to stay on,” said Chris Rabideau. He continued to share details about business plans, accounting, taxes, marketing and advertising. Year ends with plans ready to go “The kids have really benefited and learned a lot about themselves. They’ve seen their plan grow from a dream, an idea, to planning and paperwork and td fruition.” said Lorrie Syms, a teacher at SVECA. “I wish more (students) had opted to stay in.” Stephen Larrabee, STBC manager, praised the students for their accom» plishments at a year-end pizza party in early June. “For your age, these business plans are a wonderful achievement. Now you have a working business plan,” he said to the students, adding that their added confidence and camaraderie can help them implement their plans at any time. A plan for tie-dyed clothing Three teens - Kylie Chiles, Sierra Warren and Savannah Worman - put together a business plan that followed the old adage of writing (or doing) what you know. “We like tie-dying and we thought it would be good to do something we like,” said Chiles. By the time they had finished their plan, these girls had identified such things as their goals, target market (teens and young adults), pricing and how much money they would need to get started. “We learned to keep within a budget and how to be smart with what we buy,” Chiles said. She added that the team plans to wait until it reaches its goal of selling 1,000 T-shirts before expanding to more products than the T-shirts, blankets and “onesies” they now sell for $15. The team received $950 from the grant to start their business. Photo by Diane Rodriquez Members of the Youth Entrepreneur and Leadership Project include (1 to r) Joe Williams, Kai Florendo, Kylie Chiles, Jaycub Westbrook (kneeling), Chayson Metcalf, teacher Lorrie Syms, Aislyn Cox, Steve Larrabee from STBC, Savannah Worman, James Stewart and Chris Rabideau of Ferret Mojo Entertainment. Not pictured: Sierra Warren Medications available to help you quit smoking, fight effects of withdrawal When you quit smoking, you may feel strange at first - dull, tense and not yourself. These are signs that your body is getting used to life without nicotine. It usually lasts just one or two weeks. Many people just can’t handle how they feel after they quit. They start smok ing again to feel better - maybe this has happened to you. Most people slip up in the first week after quitting, when feelings of withdrawal are strongest. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved medicines to reduce withdrawal symptoms and the urge to smoke. The FDA-approved medicines that can help with feelings of withdrawal include nicotine gum, inhaler, tablet, nose spray and skin patch; bupropion pills; and varenicline pills Using these medicines can double your chances of quitting for good. Ask your doctor for help. But remember: medicine alone can’t do all the work. It can help with cravings and withdrawal, but quitting will still be hard at times. Medicines with nicotine Nicotine cessation products - also called nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) - have a little bit of nicotine but not the hundreds of other harmful chemi cals that are in cigarettes. NRT helps you handle the physical symptoms of quitting by giving you much less nicotine than a cigarette. This satisfies your nicotine craving and lessens your urge to smoke. You can buy some NRT medicines without a prescription from your doctor. These include a patch, gum or lozenge with nicotine. Nicotine inhalers and nose sprays are available only by prescription. Keep in mind Medications alone can’t do all the work. They can help with cravings and withdrawal, but they won’t completely stop withdrawal symptoms. Even if you use medication to help you stop smoking, quitting can still be hard at times. Many people find it helps to take medication and change their habits at the same time. Talk to your doctor about getting help to quit It’s important to tell your doctor when you are ready to quit, especially if you are pregnant, thinking about becoming pregnant or have a serious medical condition. Your doctor can help you connect with the right resources to make your quit attempt work. Remember - quitting “cold turkey” isn’t your only choice. Make sure to let your doctor or pharmacist know what medications you take. Nicotine changes how some drugs work. Your doctor may need to change some of your medications after you quit. *smokefree.gov Tasha Mason 541-444-9659/80O-648-0449, ext. 1659 tasham@ctsi.nsn.us Oregon Quit Line 800-QUIT-NOW oregonquitline.org July 2011 • Siletz News • 7
