How might we explore and practice social entrepreneruship with 7th and 8th graders through a fun summer experience?
During Summer 2019, 15 seventh and eighth grade entrepreneurs participated in the first ever Venture Camp. The three day camp focused on learning about what an entrepreneur is and hearing stories from local entrepreneurs from organizations such as Roots Zero Waste Market, Gluten Free Galaxy, Trailhead, Sage Yoga and Wellness, Piehole, and Pure Love Sustainability. Campers separated into four teams to create their own business and worked towards a pitch competition on the last day of camp. Highlights included making branded t-shirts, learning to tie ties, and celebrating the pitch wins with ice cream. Shout out to ConsumerNET for winning the “Best Product” competition with a consumer built cell phone network with a fully functioning prototype. Congrats!
Outcomes:
Advice from six local entrepreneurs
Four startup ideas pitched
Feedback from Venture Campers:
“Before Venture Camp, I never really considered being an entrepreneur. At first, Venture Camp was a bit out of my comfort zone. However, it pushed me to think deeply about myself and what I want to do with my life. I now see that being an entrepreneur isn't out of reach, and that though it won't be easy, it definitely can be an amazing life experience. Venture Camp was a lot of fun too, with great food and games. It was really interesting to hear from the owners of several startups in Boise. The pitch competitions pushed me to be a better public speaker, and it was a lot of fun prototyping a business. I would recommend it to anyone, regardless of if you have ever thought about being an entrepreneur or not. Thank you to One Stone for bringing such a great experience to me and many other middle schoolers.” –Will Olson, 8th Grader at Lowell Scott Middle School
“My team, Mountainia, pitched a collapsible, connectable tent called Cliff Face™. The idea behind our product was to create a super fast, easy-to-set-up tent that would speed up the process of setting up a campsite. It was fun to brainstorm ideas and I enjoyed visiting other local entrepreneurs to learn about their businesses.” –Kellan Reagan, 7th Grader at North Junior High
