Ian Johnson, 13, and Heidi van der Heijden, 14, work together to match descriptions to what makes a goal specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and have a time to be completed during the Entrepreneurship Investigation camp at Seward Memorial Library July 6. This year, the camp was held July 6-7 and July 10-12. The students spent the week developing products to sell at the Seward Farmer’s Market July 12 from 5 to 7 p.m.
Seven Seward County middle school students will be at the Seward Farmer’s Market today, July 12, to sell items they made at the Entrepreneurship Investigation summer camp.
Each summer, the Seward County Extension Office holds the ESI camp, which introduces students to entrepreneurs in the area, helps them develop a product of their own and teaches them other aspects of having their own business.
During the camp, Extension Educator Shelly Stitt said the students all come up with their own products to sell at the farmer’s market.
“They’re all very different,” Stitt said.
Stitt said the camp has a limited number of spots in order for each student to have a personal experience and to keep the camp interactive.
“They’re able to learn from each other,” Stitt said.
Before school is out, Stitt said the Extension Office sends letters to area schools, asking them to nominate kids for the camp. Students finishing grades six through eight can apply.
This year’s ESI camp was held July 6-7 and July 10-12. On their first day, Stitt led the students in discussing long-term goals and how they can achieve those goals through short-term objectives.
For example, if a student’s goal is to attend college to earn a bachelor’s degree, he or she can work complete objectives like earning good grades, saving money and participating in extracurricular activities to reach their long-term goal.
The students also learned about setting SMART goals. That means their goals are:
• Specific;
• Measurable;
• Attainable;
• Realistic; and have a
• Time to be completed.
Overall, Stitt said the camp introduces students to several businesses and ideas that show them there are entrepreneurial opportunities in their own communities.
“It’s an opportunity to expose them to what it takes to be an entrepreneur,” Stitt said.
Just like the student’s products are not the same, Stitt said introducing students to entrepreneurs also shows them there is a variety of ways to run a business.
“Not everything is the same,” Stitt said.
After five days of work, the students will sell their items at the Seward Farmer’s Market July 12 from 5 to 7 p.m.
“A lot of them are looking forward to it,” Stitt said.
