Pride. That is the first word that comes to mind when Lenore Hambor thinks of the work her L.I.F.T. students do in The Forum School’s ‘Marketplace.’ Lenore, a special education teacher with a self-contained classroom, has been with The Forum School for 33 years. Now in her fourth year with the L.I.F.T. program, (Learning Independence for Tomorrow), she leads students ages 12 and over in The Marketplace, offering a truly unique transition option for students.

The Marketplace is a creative business training program that teaches students how to take an idea from its inception all the way to a finished product. Students are exposed to basic business skills and see the many steps that go into moving a product from “a good idea,” to “sold” as they explore product development, finances, and marketing.

Even if they never go into business for themselves, experience with The Marketplace helps to prepare students for going out into a work situation. They begin a project and see it through until its completion.

Students use their creative skills to produce gift items, such as crystal bracelets, scented sugar scrubs, and hand-printed note cards.

When the projects are completed, they are sold at school events; the proceeds ‘reinvested’ in the business for materials for future projects.

School principal, Brian Detlefsen believes that students on the autism spectrum need many transition options, including a micro-enterprise.

“We are enabling our students to ready themselves for their own futures,” he concluded.