Tulsa KIDZ BIZZ Konference 2022 BTW Alumni “Coming Home With A Purpose”

On October 8th, the 5th annual Tulsa KIDZ BIZZ Konference achieved fulfillment as one of the successful events on the Booker T. Washington National Alumni Association Homecoming Weekend Agenda.

With consistency, proud BTW Alumni have been ‘Coming Home With A Purpose’, lending their time, ideas, support, mentorship and expertise to Tulsa youth by leading seminars and workshops related to their self-employment, business ownership and entrepreneurial experience.

Those offering their leadership in service and/or support this year were Lois Kelley (’56), Oza McClain, Pastor Barbara Littlejohn (’68 honorary), Guy Troupe (’84), Yvette Troupe, Fred Jones (’82), Shiphaney Jones (BTWNAA), Julie Profit (’84), Ikia Young (’89), Joy Schoats-Davis (’89), Daquet ‘Kitty’ Wilson (’89), Thomas Boxley (’90), Charles Christopher (’83), Howard Dennie (’83), Ifaseyi Amusan and her son, who was a special returning KIDZ BIZZ Konference attendee who is also a current local thriving kidpreneur, Onifade Amusan (Onifade’ Cookie Company).

‘KIDZ BIZZ Konference’ is an empowerment conference for youth with an emphasis on developing and improving comprehensive knowledge and skills related to kidpreneurship.

This year,  Kidz Bizz founders Corneta Kelley Mensah (’83) and Sundi Williams (’89) welcomed mostly middle and highschool students to participate in the program with a goal to facilitate improving skills directly related to achieving success by increasing confidence, self-reliance, mental health status, emotional intelligence and planning/problem solving, which are all pertinent interpersonal skills needed as a foundation to build upon to enhance their current talent and skillset in order to strategize as team members and achieve progress at all stages from idea to design and on to the development of actual products.

KIDZ BIZZ Konference founders extended a very special “Thank you” to all Marketplace patrons, to all student participants for their time, attention and hard work and to the supportive parents/caregivers for their support and for allowing their children to be involved.

The group of 13 students congregated at Tulsa’s Greenwood Cultural Center, a history museum that offers exhibits on local African American heritage and educational programs, to create logos and to design, produce, package and price products that they sold during their very own public KIDZ BIZZ MARKETPLACE. Out of four teams, the mock small business created by Brenjon Young, Breylan Troupe and Jacori Watson for ‘BBJ Cups’, was the first to sell out of all product inventory. However, all teams sold out of all of the products that they created within one hour! If applicable, all students received documentation of completing community service hours. All participants were gifted cash stipends for their work effort.  All proceeds from product sales and 4 awesome gift basket raffle sales were cheerfully donated to a local charity.

Mentors enjoyed guiding conference participants through an activity-filled agenda, expressing to all participants that SUCCESS IS BUILT ON SKILLS. Students were challenged to view themselves as potential business owners and were asked individually throughout the day, “What can you DO?”, reiterating that they all possess a quality or skill that could be utilized to spark business ideas that meet the needs of their community.  All students were successful with teachback as evidenced by improved verbal recall and application of newly learned strategies during the actual marketplace event.

The top event takeaway was that the combination of  positivity and preparation is never limiting  and when it comes to kidpreneurship they are indeed capable right now.