Summer is our busiest time of year. Kids are out of school, and parents are itching to get them involved in something valuable and educational to occupy their minds. It’s also a time when high school students begin preparing for college applications, campus visits and other post-graduation tasks, and are really starting to delve into planning their future careers and occupations. Because of all this, we always offer a full slate of youth entrepreneurship events, camps and programs for kids of all ages to take part in through the summer.
This year is no different. From June through August, we’ll be serving up tons of unique opportunities for tech- and entrepreneur-minded students. From girls-only camps to programs about gaming, starting a business and other niche industries, there’s something for everyone here at VentureLab.
Here are some of our San Antonio summer camps for summer 2014:
- Youth Startup 101—The Youth Startup program gives students the tools and resources they need to launch and run their own business. They’ll learn to work together, brainstorm, develop customers and competitive analysis, conduct research and build a demo prototype of their company’s product. They will also learn about pitching and will deliver their own presentation on the last day of class. A girls-only version of Start Up 101 is available.
Dates: June 16-20, Aug. 4-8 or Aug. 18-22. Times: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Age Groups: 5-7, 8-10 or 11-13. Cost: $270-$300, depending on when you register.
- Gamer—This unique youth entrepreneurship program gives students a basic introduction to video game design, using a programming language called Scratch, which was developed by MIT and Stanford University. Students will learn about the Scratch language, develop basic entrepreneurial skills and discover how to conduct market research. They’ll also test and provide feedback on games, and learn how to improve current versions based on research and feedback. Finally, they’ll build and complete their own game, adding features like multiplayer, increased difficulty levels and more, and they’ll discover what goes into pricing and marketing a game product. There is also a girls-only version of the Gamer workshop.
Dates: July 7-11. Times: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Age Groups: 5-7, 8-10 or 11-13. No prior programming experience is necessary. Cost: $270-$300, depending on when you register.
- Urban Farmer—Students will gain hands-on experience planting and growing a variety of produce, while experimenting with new technologies. Students will obtain hands-on experience with what it is like operating their own farm. Through experimentation, they will understand the limitations of technology and develop a business concept for their farm.
Dates: July 14 – 18. Times: 9 am to 3pm. Age Groups: 5-7, 8-10, or 11-13. Cost: $270-$300, depending on when you register.
VentureLab will also host a High School Startup course on July 28-Aug 15 at Trinity University. The course is designed for students ages 14 to 19.
Before and after camp care is available from 8 am until 4 pm for $50 per day. Students can bring their lunch or purchase the lunch option for an additional $35 for the week.
To learn more or to register for any of our San Antonio summer camps for youth entrepreneurship, click here.
