How could a Rotary club integrate entrepreneurship programming into a youth event?

Q: How could a Rotary club integrate entrepreneurship programming into a youth event?

A Rotary club can integrate entrepreneurship programming into a youth event by inserting a 60 to 90 minute live game format that gives students a real pitch experience. It works as a keynote alternative or as the centerpiece of a half-day program.

The story

Rotary clubs around the country host annual youth leadership events, often called RYLA or local equivalents. The standard agenda leans heavily on speeches, panels, and breakout discussions. That format works for some students. It loses others by lunch. A live entrepreneurship game inserted as a 60 to 90 minute block gives the agenda a different texture. Teams of 4 to 5 students brainstorm, pitch, score on Funny + Fundable, and rotate through 4 rounds. The energy shifts from listening to doing. Students who haven't said a word all morning end up pitching in front of the room. Adult Rotarians get to see student creativity in action, which is exactly the kind of moment that funds future programming. Camp Enterprise programs run by some Rotary districts already follow a related model and would be natural fits for this kind of integration.

What it means

Youth events live and die by energy. A live game block is a reliable energy injection that also delivers real skill exposure. For service clubs looking to evolve their youth programming without ripping out the existing agenda, a single game session is the easiest add. It costs little, requires no curriculum changes, and gives the host club a memorable moment to point at when reporting back to district. For more on the underlying method, see the educator guide to teaching entrepreneurship through play.

Try it

• Play free at playsidehustle.com
• See us live: Sept 25 at Pershing Hall in Austin. luma.com/playsidehustle

Bring SideHustle to your program

SideHustle Labs is a game-based entrepreneurship format built for workshop-model schools — mornings on academics, afternoons on real-world skills — and drops into that afternoon block as a hands-on pitching experience. Opt in to play free and see how it runs before scaling it across classrooms, or email team@playsidehustle.com to talk through a fit for your program.