Each student at the Fair received a Citation from Congressman Gabe Amo.

Now in its fifth year, Mini Entrepreneurs of Rhode Island (MERI) recently held its annual Mini Entrepreneurs of Rhode Island Kids Fair.

Hosted at the WaterFire Arts Center in Providence, the one-day event introduces children ages 4-16 to entrepreneurship as they are given the opportunity to create a product or service to sell with the support of a parent or guardian.

Before the big fair, 65 children get the opportunity to participate in workshops and learn the basics of entrepreneurship. They get the chance to share their ideas, receive feedback and input, along with practicing their customer service skills.

To encourage community attendance, the first 100 shoppers at the fair received $15 in “Mini Bucks” to do business with these young entrepreneurs.

Each participant received a citation and video message from U.S. Rep. Gabe Amo, a guidebook on the process of creating a business at home, a vendor table to sell their products at the fair, snacks and lunch, a Mini entrepreneur T-shirt and a certificate.

One of the highlighted youth vendors was Mayarose. She featured her own greeting card line “designed by kids, for kids” to promote kindness, friendship and self-confidence.

MERI Founder and Executive Director Erica Campbell said that this is an incredible experience for everyone involved.

“We…celebrate the tenacity and the creativity of multicultural Mini-Entrepreneur businesses, young innovators, all supported by their families, community members, volunteers and community collaborators,” she said.

Campbell founded MERI in 2023, with the goal of seeking “to bring experiential business learning to all children, especially those from low- to moderate-income communities. Their mission “is to bring young minds into the world.”

The fair is one of the many diverse programs the non-profit organization hosts throughout the year, as it works to “empower children across Rhode Island by fostering creativity, resilience,and a strong entrepreneurial spirit from a young age.”

Some of the recent programs include free summer camps, which give kids an introduction to entrepreneurship through innovative programming.

This year, they hosted the following summer camps: Game Changers: Basketball and Business for Future Leaders; Junior Chef Entrepreneurs: A Culinary Business Camp; Empowering Youth Through Entrepreneurship; and Photography Camp.

The organization also hosts K-8 after-school programs, where their coaches go to different schools and conduct creative “hands-on programs” that help students grow their minds for entrepreneurship through teamwork, while providing guidance and mentorship.

MERI says that the youth participants of the Mini Entrepreneurs of Rhode Island Kids Fair develop skills that they can use for life, including problem-solving, creative and critical thinking, basic financial literacy, cognitive development, social and emotional development, customer service, good manners, commitment, eye contact and confidence, among others.

The organization also teaches and integrates core values as a part of their mission.

One of these is community impact. They work to “make a positive impact on the community” by expanding “the number of under-resourced entrepreneurs” and encouraging economic empowerment through giving to “long-term wellness and education outcomes” for youth in the community. Another is inclusion. By focusing on “the needs of children from lowand moderate-income communities” they aim to make sure that all children have equitable education opportunities.

One of the parents of two youth participants in this year’s fair, Michelle Jean Francois, said the fair exceeded her expectations as it was much more organized than they imagined.

“They had a really good time meeting different children and different businesses. They were inspired. They look forward to taking part in it next year,” she said. “They enjoyed it so much. They loved everything about it. They were super eager to find out when the next one’s going to take place.”

Jean Francois also talked about why she feels it’s important to have events like this for youth.

“I think it’s important because it helps build confidence and independence. I enjoyed watching my children, you know, gain so much from other children, and learn so much from other businesses. I also felt like they were learning financial literacy, watching them deal with the money on their own. … Interacting with the customers. I’m like, this is really going to definitely build up their confidence,” she said.

“I loved watching how they faced any challenges that they faced. They checked it out and they solved the problem on their own. It was really nice to see,” she added.

Jean Francois also shared her appreciation of support and kindness from everyone at the fair — a personal highlight.

“Everybody was super supportive, whether words of encouragement or just supporting the business in general. I thought that was amazing,” she said.