Summer camp to teach kids how business works

There's a better way for kids to learn about the business world than opening their own lemonade stand. 

Two new Western Michigan University summer camps will introduce high school students to what it takes to start a business. How the economy works and how to save are also part of the program. WMU faculty will teach both camps.

Students entering grades 10 through 12 are invited to attend an entrepreneurship camp, June 28 and June 30 where they will develop startup ideas and learn tools to launch a business. The camp--Beyond the Lemonade Stand--takes place at WMU's student business accelerator, Starting Gate, 508 E. Butler Court, Kalamazoo. Camp participants will meet entrepreneurs, take tours of local companies, learn from experts, and pitch business ideas.

The camp will cost is $25 and includes a T-shirt, snacks, and lunch both days. Space is limited to 25 participants. Register at here by Tuesday, June 14. For more information, call Starting Gate at (269) 387-5860. 

From July 18-22 students who have completed grades 8 through 12 will find out how the stock market works, how to pick stocks, when to trade, and what types of investments people can make. The camp also teaches how the economy works and how to save.

Dollars and Sense: A Finance Camp for High School Students is a one-week program that explores more than 10 different finance topics that influence individuals and the world in general, including anything from why a stock market crashes to how to save for college.

WMU faculty member and finance expert Dr. Jim DeMello teaches the class. It will be discussion-based and include two real-world projects plus a trip to Chicago to visit the stock exchanges and meet with brokers and other finance professionals.  Dollars and Sense will be taught in WMU’s Greenleaf Trust Trading Room, housed in the Haworth College of Business.

The fee is $100 and is sponsored by Sanford Advisory Services, so it is offered at less than one-fifth the actual cost of the camp. Registration is available here.

"The entrepreneurial community in Kalamazoo is growing quickly, and we wanted to reach out to local high school students who may be thinking of taking an entrepreneurial path while in college and after college," says Lara Hobson, operations director of Starting Gate.

The Haworth College of Business "has a new entrepreneurship major and minor," she says, "and with the growth in the number of Starting Gate applicants, we feel as though we can attract more students interested in becoming Broncos and pursuing their dreams of starting businesses."

Source: Western Michigan University