Virtual Summer Camp for Next Generation of Entrepreneurs Launched by Summerfuel and NFTE

NEW YORK, May 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- With COVID-19 leading families around the world to rethink their summer plans, two longstanding and respected education providers have teamed up to offer a unique virtual learning opportunity for high school students.

Summerfuel, one of the top pre-college summer enrichment programs, and NFTE (Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship), a non-profit leading the way in youth entrepreneurship education, today announced the launch of a collaboration - Emerging Entrepreneurs Camp. This entrepreneurial-focused summer program for high school-aged kids will offer an engaging and immersive virtual camp experience that will give them the opportunity to develop business skills and tap into their potential as future leaders and innovators.

Originally slated to be offered in a college campus setting, the camp transitioned to a virtual program as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic, which has significantly impacted plans for a traditional summer camp experience.

"When we realized that the COVID-19 pandemic would impact the summer camp season, we knew we had to find a way to offer an immersive experience for students using an online platform," said David Evans, president, Summerfuel. "Together with NFTE, we have created a one-of-a-kind program we believe will engage high school students in an inspiring and enduring way."

The proprietary curriculum is designed by NFTE, which will also provide the entrepreneurial-certified teaching staff that has experience working with high school students and know how to keep them engaged. The course work will focus on everything from opportunity recognition and ideation to marketing and finance. There will also be an opportunity for students to meet with local entrepreneurs and pitch their "big business idea" to a panel of judges at the close of the session.

"We have taken the essential business tenets and activities we think are really important and put it into this two-week program," said Scott Nasatir, an executive director at NFTE. "This can go from a summer experience to something that is life-changing that will translate into whatever they want to do in their lives. We feel we are really empowering youth with skills to be successful."

Summerfuel will offer two camp sessions over the course of the summer that each will run for two weeks, the first starting on June 22(nd). Each session will include daily live courses and seminars, small working group sessions for hands-on development supervised by teachers, and unsupervised group sessions with classmates to collaborate and work on pitches. Additional coaching and perspective will come from top college business students provided by the Collegiate Entrepreneurship Organization (CEO) and Pi Sigma Epsilon (PSE) National Co-ed Professional Fraternity.

At a cost of $2,295 for each two-week session (4 hours per day, Monday through Friday), students will be immersed in entrepreneurship coursework delivered live and will have the opportunity to learn:

    --  The basics of an entrepreneurial mindset
    --  The importance of market research and how to do it
    --  How to develop a competitive edge
    --  The fundamentals of marketing
    --  How to prepare an elevator pitch
    --  Real-time business simulations
    --  Practical insights and advice from successful, award-winning
        entrepreneurs

There will also be a virtual speaker series offered in the evenings where students will have the opportunity to connect with serial entrepreneurs and corporate executives. Plans to offer students access to a panel of experts on college business and entrepreneurship programs are also being developed. Upon the completion of the program, students will receive:

    --  A certificate of completion that enhances future candidacy for college
        admission, merit scholarships, summer jobs and internships
    --  A pitch deck, presentation plan and competition resources for future use
    --  Ongoing access to the global alumni network and career resources of
        NFTE, CEO and PSE for possible scholarships, mentoring, internships, and
        Summerfuel's educational webinars

Scholarship opportunities for the program are also available for qualifying students. For more information on the Summerfuel's Emerging Entrepreneur virtual summer camp program powered by NFTE, visit www.summerfuel.com.

About Summerfuel
Since 1984, Summerfuel has offered a range of pre-college summer enrichment programs for high school students that are designed to give them the essentials skills needed to broaden their academic and personal horizons. The programs emphasize cultural engagement, travel, exploration, recreation, language study, academic enrichment, social engagement, responsibility, independence, and personal growth - preparing students for a successful high school to college transition. For more information visit www.summerfuel.com.

About NFTE
NFTE is the leading educational nonprofit focused on teaching startup skills and activating the entrepreneurial mindset in young people from under-resourced communities. Research shows the entrepreneurial mindset--skills including problem-solving, adaptability, initiative, and self-reliance--leads to lifelong success. Equipped with the business and academic skills NFTE teaches and empowered by the entrepreneurial mindset, NFTE alumni are prepared to thrive. NFTE works with schools and community partners across the country through its nationwide network of program offices. Alliances with global youth development organizations bring NFTE programs to additional students internationally. NFTE reaches more than 100,000 young people annually and has served well over a million students since its founding. Learn more at www.nfte.com.

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SOURCE Summerfuel