Incubator

This is an idea that I've had from time to time. I've yet to work on it, but each time, I come a little closer.

Some background. During the tour of the college we saw this weekend, they mentioned that in one class, each student is assigned to a small "business incubator" team. Each team is given one thousand dollars -- actual money, not play money -- with which they have to implement a plan for a business. Which means they have to have a plan, and get it vetted and approved. During the semester, they execute their plan, and at the end of the semester, they present the results. Any money earned goes to a previously-designated charity of their choice.

I'd like to do something like that. I don't have a thousand dollars to hand around to each of multiple teams. But I do have a thousand dollars that I could hand to ten teams, a hundred dollars at a time. Or two hundred fifty. Or even five hundred. That's the easy part. The hard part is - how to set the goal? How to pick the participants, how to track and evaluate? Not sure.

I do know that I'd like it to be relatively young kids -- which means either middle school or earlyhigh school. I'd like the team to be composed mostly or entirely of girls, just because I have this bias that I don't think girls get enough recognition. What they do -- it doesn't have to be Westinghouse Science Competition level, but it should be challenging. Past that -- I really don't know.

So far, anyway.