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When Lofland, who is certified by the National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship, taught in the District, ‘‘we had full cooperation from the school board and chamber of commerce,” she said. But she did not find the same level of support for her young entrepreneurs in Prince George’s County.

This committee may change that.

‘‘If we’re gonna grow our own, then our own have to be involved,” James A. Dula, chamber president and CEO, said in an earlier interview. ‘‘It’s going to pay big dividends for the chamber of commerce and all involved as we grow our next leaders and entrepreneurs.”

Committee leaders held the first meeting in March. Although it is still in the developmental stage, it will most likely include members from area high schools and colleges, and work with some middle schools, according to co-chairwoman LaChelle Johnson.

The goal is to connect young entrepreneurs with county business owners and prepare others to take steps toward becoming entrepreneurs, said Johnson, who also owns Life Skills School of Etiquette in Lanham.

‘‘Entrepreneurship education is an essential life skill for the 20th-century market place,” said Michael Caslin III, executive vice president for public policy at the National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship.

From a human development perspective, introducing such experiential learning into the lives of young people is a wise thing, Caslin said. Academics, attitude, self-esteem and motivation are all influenced, he said.

‘‘An entrepreneurial perspective helps connect the dots between schooling and their future,” he said.

Johnson brings to the committee her experience as an entrepreneur and etiquette expert. If people don’t have the confidence or self-esteem to effectively communicate their passion and vision, others won’t buy into it and they won’t be successful, she said.

Some ideas on the committee agenda include mentoring; helping participants set up a legitimate business that’s marketable and attractive to consumers; preparing them for college; and finding opportunities to intern with local companies, Johnson said.

Those who have mentored Lofland’s students have come mostly from Virginia and Montgomery County, Lofland said. Ingenium Corp. in Landover once hosted a table at a large business event for Suitland and Frederick Douglass High School students so they could network with many established business owners, she said.

Young people involved in sports or crime usually get more media attention than these students, Lofland said, who are ‘‘using their minds to become economically responsible in this community, in Prince George’s County.”

Any program that links young entrepreneurs with experienced business owners and leaders ‘‘would be great,” said 19-year-old Andrea Dashiell, owner of Honeecakes Bakery. The University of Delaware freshman from Forestville, and former Lofland student, started her baking business in 2004 when she was a junior at Suitland High School.

Those who have had a business for 10 to 20 years can teach a young business owner the art of longevity, Dashiell said.

Lucinia Mundy, owner of MyOwnBiz Consultants, identifies with the challenges of starting a business at a young age.

‘‘I was a teen entrepreneur and I didn’t have too much guidance,” Mundy said. ‘‘So I know how important it is to be mentored by the business community.”

The small-business consultant opened an incubator in Clinton and offers space for young businesspeople.

Young entrepreneurs need guidance, Lofland said, ”and they need to know where they fit in into the economic development.”