LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ -- A group of Trenton middle school students will soon take part in a new project spearheaded by Rider University's College of Business Administration (CBA) which is aimed at helping students realize their potential through creating and running their own business.

"Minding Our Business" (MOB), a community service/mentoring project initiated and directed by University professor Dr. Sigfredo Hernandez, will begin operations in January, 1997, at the Arthur J. Holland Middle School. The project will involve 100 sixth-grade students who will be grouped under mentoring teams consisting of University CBA students, parents of participating children, and community and business leaders. The goal of these mentors will be to educate and develop entrepreneurial skills in these 11-, 12-, and 13-year-olds, while at the same time educate Rider students on the management side of business.

"CBA students will benefit by practicing social responsibility through their mentoring experience," said Dr. Hernandez. "They will have a chance to develop their leadership, communication, team building, conflict management, diversity management and consulting skills. They will learn about business planning and the management process by overseeing the operations of micro-businesses run by sixth-graders."

Each group of 10 students will develop an idea and present a business plan to the MOB Advisory Board, which will consist of the Holland Middle School principal, CBA Dean Mark Sandberg, and area business leaders. The board will grant up to $200 to each team's business plan based on their presentation, which will be used to execute and manage their businesses. The students will also get the opportunity to visit a corporate boardroom in Mercer County, where they will meet top business executives to learn about managing a business and career opportunities.

Project coordinators hope the MOB will benefit the Trenton youth just as much as the Rider students serving as mentors. In addition to improving the sixth-graders' academic performance in subjects such as oral presentation, math, and writing, the project is intended to encourage these inner-city students to develop a more positive attitude toward learning, as well as build their self-confidence through a sense of accomplishment. Organizers hope this will prevent these students from dropping out of school due to a lack of interest or hope.

"This is an exciting program to involve our business college with the community and have our faculty and students work with inner city youth through an alliance with parents, local business owners, the Mercer County Chamber of Commerce, as well as the middle school," said Dr. Sandberg. "Through the vehicle of running a micro- business it is hoped that these students will gain other skills and attitudes that will help them when they graduate.

"I believe this is one of those interventions that can make a difference in a student's life."