HAZLETON, Pa. — The Penn State Hazleton LaunchBox will hold a summer camp designed to assist student entrepreneurs in getting their ideas off the ground and learning how to start a business. The Youth Entrepreneurship Summer Camp is being offered in conjunction with the Downtown Hazleton Alliance for Progress and other members of the Hazleton Innovation Collaborative (THInC).
The six-week program will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays, July 9 to Aug. 15, at the Greater Hazleton Chamber of Commerce, located at 8 W. Broad St. in Hazleton. The program will accept 16 high school students ages 14 to 18 years old. Thanks to the sponsorship of local businesses, this program is offered at no charge to participants.
During the program, participating teams and individuals will have the opportunity to explore their interests while identifying problems in the community, discovering personal strengths and limitations, developing business ideas, and learning how to articulate and act on their ideas. As part of the camp, participants will pitch their ideas and compete for $1,500 in prizes.
To register for the Youth Entrepreneurship Summer Camp, visit http://bit.ly/thinc-camp. For more information, contact Director of Continuing Education Debra Conway at 570-450-3136 or dxk40@psu.edu.
For information on other summer camps offered by Penn State Hazleton, visit hazleton.psu.edu.
The Hazleton LaunchBox, supported by Pasco L. Schiavo, Esq., is a community collaboration with partners including the Downtown Hazleton Alliance for Progress, CAN DO, CAN BE, the Greater Hazleton Chamber of Commerce, the Society of Hispanic Business Professionals, and other partners through the Hazleton Innovation Collaborative. The Hazleton LaunchBox will be located at 13 W. Broad Street in Hazleton with renovations currently underway. Renovations also are underway on the building that will house the THInC Downtown center at 13 W. Broad St. in Hazleton, and is expected to open later this year.
Youth Entrepreneurship Summer Camp is an initiative of THInC Downtown!, which will be administered by Penn State Hazleton in partnership with the Downtown Hazleton Alliance for Progress, which will work with other organizations and institutions to provide entrepreneurship education to the students at no charge on a scholarship basis. The program will involve high school students in hands-on projects designed to develop their creativity and problem-solving skills and foster entrepreneurial thinking.