The goal of the Kids Can Youth Entrepreneur Program is to inspire creativity and innovation among youth across Las Cruces and Doña Ana County, through the study of business concepts and development of entrepreneurship skills. The Kids Can program focuses on teaching area youth ages 6-17 important skills for a lifetime of success. These hands-on lessons include leadership training, public speaking and confidence-building exercises, self-reliance and personal empowerment workshops, and financial and business literacy labs.

Youth attend “Super Saturday” workshops, after-school enrichment classes, and week-long camps. Youth showcase and grow their businesses monthly at the Kids Can Jr. Vendor Program at the Las Cruces Farmers and Crafts Market Saturdays. Approximately 20 youth-led businesses rotate there on a monthly basis.

In April and November of each year, business-building workshops are held in advance of a large public fair, to prepare youth to make record breaking sales and display their business ideas in the best possible way. Youth get product feedback and practice making the perfect pitch as well as ask questions of representatives from local business owners and industry experts. Their products and business concepts are evaluated on most original business idea, highest business potential, and best presentation/creativity.

In 2016, Kids Can was launched by area entrepreneur April Christensen as a volunteer-staffed and community-driven youth enrichment program. She conceived of the “hook” of money-making to get youth involved in all of the benefits that exposure to business entrepreneurship offers. The program quickly received wide recognition and financial support from the Las Cruces business and civic community, including financial sponsorships and media coverage. Kids Can was “adopted” by the CAASNM Family Empowerment Program in 2019 because of its strong fit to CAASNM’s mission of self-reliance through business building.  

This three-part workshop series is a game changer! Parents and influencers will establish a powerful framework to nurture and develop leadership and life altering skills at home! Youth will learn leadership principles that when applied to life’s tough choices, bring direction and success! Every child has genius! Parents and influencers will learn new ways of thinking and behaviors that can communicate self-worth and encourage each child to recognize their great potential and vision for themselves. You must register to gain access to these incredible workshops!