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A new Oklahoma Business Week summer camp at East Central University will introduce up to 100 current Oklahoma 10th or 11th grade high school students to both the world of business and a college campus. Participants in the camp, from July 8-13, also have a chance to win prizes and scholarships to ECU.

The camp will divide the students into 10 teams. Under the leadership of a volunteer mentor from the Oklahoma business community, students will develop a “company” to learn about business practices and compete in a simulated business challenge. Oklahoma Business Week also will include one 10-member team comprised of high school educators seeking to interact with and learn from Oklahoma business leaders.

The winning company’s team members and other category winners will receive prizes.  ECU will award scholarships worth $15,000 to competition winners.

All the OBW programs are designed to engage teens in hands-on, experiential learning.

Participants will live in ECU residence halls and participate in a variety of activities on the ECU campus.

“Oklahoma Business Week, while immersing high school students into the world of business, is also a great opportunity for students to experience what college life is like,” said Stacey Bolin, camp director and ECU instructor of computer science and instructor of business administration. “Students will gain skills in leadership, communication, team building, responsibility, money management, entrepreneurship, marketing and much more.”

Applications will be reviewed beginning March 16 [FRIDAY] and continue until all the spaces are filled, Bolin said.

At the end of the camp each “company” will have the opportunity to present to and interact with current business leaders who have volunteered to serve as judges.  Each company will make a stockholder presentation to explain their choices and results from the simulation. Each company also will set up a trade show booth to showcase their newly developed products and/or services to the judges who will act as potential investors in new ventures.

The judges will peruse the company ventures and distribute their investment dollars in varying amounts into the most deserving company’s investment account.

The actual simulation results, the results of some other teamwork competitions from the week, the judges’ scores from the stockholder presentations, and the investment dollar totals from the trade show will determine the OBW winners. 

The cost for camp, including all meals and housing, is $150 per participant.

“The OBW camp is valued at more than $750, but because of our generous supporters we are able to cover most expenses,” Bolin said. Full scholarships are available to students with financial need.

For a printable brochure or an application, visit www.okbusweek.com. For more information, contact Bolin at info@okbusweek.comsbolin@ecok.edu or 580-559-5596, or Wendell Godwin, dean of ECU’s School of Business, at wgodwin@ecok.edu or 580-559-5274.

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