Here a 2016 student company
takes a much needed break from preparing their advertising and stockholders
presentations
There is an award-winning summer program that for nearly four decades has been exciting the imaginations of high school students throughout Pennsylvania about the world of business and private enterprise. That program, Pennsylvania Free Enterprise Week (PFEW), will be celebrating its 39th storied year this July and August. PFEW was founded specifically to teach rising high school juniors and seniors about the American private enterprise system and what it means to our country. Starting with an initial class of fewer than 100 students for a single one-week session in 1979, PFEW now annually holds five sessions in July and August, four on the campus of Lycoming College, and a fifth on the campus of Pennsylvania College of Technology, both located in Williamsport, PA. PFEW expects to receive over 3,300 applications from students across the state eagerly hoping to be in one of the 2,200 seats slotted for this year’s program. The focus of each session is to group the participants into management teams of junior executives who have inherited imaginary companies. These teams, under the guidance of volunteer “executives-on-loan” called Company Advisors, operate their firms for a computer simulated three-year period of time. To add a sense of reality, they are competing against two other student companies manufacturing and distributing the same product. These fledgling corporate executives are faced with the same decisions business people confront daily. They work with balance sheets, statements of income, market share surveys, etc., and must react to a variety of external factors including global competition, political unrest, government policy decisions, and other unknowns. Sound familiar? PFEW is designed to give every participant an idea of real-world relevant issues facing today’s businesses. Each day’s activities include four to five presentations from world-class speakers from across the nation who deliver talks that both inspire and motivate our young entrepreneurs for their futures. Does it work? Consider the following quote from Ms. Morgan Carosi from Perkiomen Valley High School in Montgomery County, “Not only is one taught the practices of a business that are mixed with activities that enhanced leadership skills, but also an overview of life. The speakers provide a few lessons regarding aspects of life and/or the reality of the business world that led to personal growth for me. This program touches all aspects that will surely affect every young adult’s future; this camp has forever changed me for the better.” The Chamber is proud to support PFEW and encourages our local companies and civic organizations to provide sponsorship for our students and, if possible, volunteers for the sessions. Every student attends PFEW on a fully tax-deductible $575 scholarship (the actual value of the scholarship is approximately $1,500) which is provided by a local firm. Each student wears the name of their sponsor throughout the week and writes them after graduation to report on what they have learned. PFEW is also an approved organization through the PA Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) program. If you would like to learn more about this award-winning program and how you can help, please call the Chamber directly or contact Scott Lee, vice president of marketing & development for the Foundation for Free Enterprise Education at (814) 833-9576 ext. 101 or e-mail him at scott@pfew.org . PFEW is open to all current sophomores and juniors in Pennsylvania and information on attendance, as well as program applications, can also be found on the website. Questions can be directed to Amber Goss, Schools Assistant for PFEW, by calling her office at (814) 833-9576 ext. 103 or emailing her at amber@pfew.org .
