URL: http://www.entrepreneur.com/magazine/entrepreneur/2001/february/36162.html

The Prudential Young Entrepreneur Program is a multiyear pilot program that exposes underprivileged 18- to 30-year-olds in Philadelphia and Newark, New Jersey, to the joys of entrepreneurship via a nine-week training program.

Created by the Prudential Foundation, the program is a collaborative effort of the Association for Enterprise Opportunity, the National Foundation of Teaching Entrepreneurship, incubators and local microlenders. The program presents speakers from the business communities and offers a mentoring program to help develop business ideas and plans.

Graduates are eligible to apply for microloans of $1,000 to $15,000, and the student with the best business plan wins the pot pooled from participants' $25 registration fees.

Contact the Newark program at (973) 643-4063 or the Philadelphia progam at (215) 895-4012.