An entrepreneurial mindset begins with recognizing a problem and believing you can help solve it. At Charles W. Flanagan High School, 3DE by Junior Achievement gives students opportunities to put that mindset into practice, connecting classroom learning with challenges from the business world.
The school’s culminating events bring that connection into focus through the NSU Case Challenge for ninth graders and the City Home Case Challenge for tenth graders. Each event marks the final touchpoint of a five-week case cycle. Business partners coach students on their proposed solutions during week three, then return as judges as the top three teams compete to present the best business case solution.
That return visit matters. Partners give students an opportunity to build on coaching and share their thinking with professionals who bring real-world perspectives. Their involvement sends a powerful message: students’ ideas deserve attention, their hard work has value, and their potential is worth investing in.
3DE makes these experiences part of a broader approach to high school learning. The 3DE model integrates business case challenges into the academic experience, helping students develop critical thinking, problem-solving and collaboration skills. Students connect what they learn in school with decisions and opportunities beyond the classroom.
During Entrepreneurship Month, that connection is especially meaningful. Developing a business solution calls for many of the habits entrepreneurs rely on: understanding a need, considering different approaches, working with others and explaining why an idea can succeed. Flanagan’s case challenges give students a setting to practice those habits, with guidance from people who use them in their professional lives.
The entrepreneurial connection continues as students advance. Junior Achievement of South Florida’s 3DE program gives eleventh graders the opportunity to launch and run their own businesses with support from volunteer mentors and coaches. In twelfth grade, students apply their learning through a year-long consulting project with a local business. Early case challenges help lay the groundwork for those experiences.
This year, 3DE will serve approximately 600 students across four Broward County public high schools. Each partnership helps more young people explore what they can contribute, whether their future includes starting a business, leading a team or solving a challenge in their community.
Help students put their ideas into action. Join Junior Achievement of South Florida as a 3DE case challenge coach, judge or business mentor. Your experience can help students strengthen their thinking and see themselves as future leaders and entrepreneurs. Explore opportunities at JASouthFlorida.org/volunteer
