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!

This summer build valuable skills and develop entrepreneurial characteristics for a lifetime of success! Each camper will plan, market, and launch a new micro-business with a new or polished product. Then, open for business at our Kids Can popup market… plus you keep the profits to spend, save, share, or reinvest in your new venture.

For Ages 10-17

Learn how to use Adobe Suite products like In Design and Photoshop to create marketing materials for your products. You will learn the fundamentals of creating visually interesting advertisements. This camp can be paired with Business Builders.

For Ages 10-17.

Summer doesn’t get sweeter than this! Join us for Kids Can Youth Entrepreneur Camps. Explore entrepreneurship with friends, gain business and leadership skills, and increase in money smarts. Set goals for success, make a plan, and launch your very own business.

Build skills for a lifetime of success together with Kids Can and DACC Workforce Development and Career Readiness. All camp material included.

For Ages 8-12.

Students will learn about health eating and life style choices for the first part of the camp. The last part students will train to become certified in CPR/AED from Region II EMS.

With Kids Can hands-on training & start up kit, you can be the best babysitter in town, earn money, and enjoy the fun experiences to last a lifetime. Participants can also certify in CPR if they sign up for the whole day. This experience will inspire creative thinking, entrepreneurship, financial literacy and self-reliance.

Learn about creatively using art to help market your small business and even to produce art to sell at your lemonade stand! Several unique art forms will be explored throughout the week.

For Ages 8-12.