Mission & values

Why we exist, and how we act.

CES was built on a simple idea — that young people learn best by doing real work, not by watching someone else do it. Everything else follows from that.

The CES store counter — mission made tangible.

Where the work happens

We empower young people ages 10 to 24 to thrive as entrepreneurs and community leaders — through real business education, mentorship, start-ups, internships and social enterprises.

Our vision

Young people who discover their potential and realize their ambitions — thrive in their own lives, grow the local economy, and give back to their community.

01Who

Who we're for

Primarily young people aged 10 to 24, early in figuring out who they are. The 10-to-13 group is especially critical: curiosity is high, and a mindset about confidence, character and work is still being formed. Young people find CES at different stages — some at ten, some in their twenties — and many come back years later to keep building.

CES is not built only for “at-risk” youth. Plenty of the young people who come to us do face real barriers tied to the economics of a rural county — but our model deliberately mixes it up. Kids with stability work next to kids without it. That's not charity in either direction; it's how empathy, leadership and actual problem-solving get built, and everyone leaves with more than they came with.

There's a second group we serve almost by accident: volunteers, mentors and retired people with a lifetime of hard-won knowledge looking for somewhere to put it. CES gives them somewhere to put it.

02Why

Why entrepreneurship

Because it's the most honest teacher we've found. A product either sells or it doesn't. A customer is either served well or they aren't. Nobody has to grade it.

Entrepreneurship is still the heart of the work, but we've grown past business creation alone. Workforce readiness and leadership sit alongside it now, because a young person needs the same core skills whether they start a company, take a job, or run a crew.

Success isn't only starting a business. It's showing up with professionalism, purpose and pride.

Core values

Turn the TIDES.

Five words, in this order, because they spell what we're trying to do here. Say them out loud in a coastal state and you'll remember them.

T TrustHand a fourteen-year-old the keys to the register and mean it.

I IntegrityDo the thing you said you'd do, on the day you said you'd do it.

D DisciplineShow up. Sweep up. Come back next week.

E EmpathyWork beside someone whose week has been harder than yours.

S ServiceThe point was never the sale. It was the town.

A hand-up, not a hand-out.

Donors and business partners see their investment in the young people, directly. That's the whole point.

Support CES Get in touch