The Trust Your Crazy Ideas Challenge empowers high school students to identify real-world problems and develop innovative, entrepreneurial solutions. Developed locally by Junior Achievement of Greater New Orleans more than ten years ago, the Challenge began as an opportunity for Orleans Parish students and has since expanded to multiple parishes across Louisiana, including regions served by other Junior Achievement offices.

Entrepreneurship education plays a critical role in preparing young people for an increasingly complex and rapidly changing economy. Through the Trust Your Crazy Ideas Challenge, students gain exposure to the principles of entrepreneurship while building creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills. Participants learn to recognize opportunities, understand basic business and financial concepts, and apply innovative thinking to challenges they see in their own communities.

Beyond business creation, the Challenge fosters an entrepreneurial mindset that is transferable across career pathways. Students develop resilience, adaptability, collaboration, and confidence—skills that support success in college, careers, and civic life. By encouraging students to take initiative and learn from both success and failure, the Trust Your Crazy Ideas Challenge helps cultivate future leaders, innovators, and changemakers.

Program Goals:

• Encourage students to think creatively, challenge assumptions, and develop innovative solutions to real-world problems.

• Build foundational skills such as critical thinking, communication, teamwork, financial awareness, and strategic decision-making.

• Support students in navigating challenges, adapting to change, and learning from setbacks in a supportive environment.

• Ignite an entrepreneurial mindset

• Inspire confidence, initiative, and ambition, reinforcing students’ belief that their ideas have value and impact.