Paige Jenkins, daughter of Cara Nordaby and Leon Jenkins and a junior at Reach Cyber Charter School, has been accepted into the Pennsylvania Free Enterprise Week.
This summer, high school sophomores and juniors from across Pennsylvania will have the opportunity to participate in PFEW, an economics education program intended to provide them with the knowledge, skills and qualities vital to their future success as responsible, involved citizens in an increasingly competitive global economy.
The program will take place on the campuses of Lycoming College and the Pennsylvania College of Technology in Williamsport.
In an effort to be accepted into the program, students fill out an application and include short essays demonstrating their desire to learn about business and the American free enterprise system. Teachers and/or counselors then recommend the candidates, and final selection is made by the PFEW staff.
Those accepted are awarded $695 sponsorships from local businesses, chambers, foundations, civic associations and individuals. The sponsorship covers all program materials, activities, meals and lodging for their week-long stay.
At PFEW, students form teams of 16 to 18 students and one adult business mentor who become the simulated management team of an underperforming manufacturing company in heated competition with other student companies. Teams operate their company for a simulated three-year period, making the same decisions today’s businesses face daily. Students are immersed in finance, production, marketing and advertising and all facets of modern business operations. Throughout the week, speakers address the students on a variety of topics geared toward their personal and professional development. The PFEW program provides students with opportunities to assess interests, develop skills and identify and explore careers aligned to those interests in an interactive, hands-on setting. PFEW attempts to put students on track for meaningful postsecondary education, employment and success.
Totally funded, taught and staffed by the Pennsylvania business community, PFEW is supported by eight manufacturers’ associations, more than 100 chambers of commerce and more than 700 companies who believe the PFEW education is vital to Pennsylvania’s future. The program is offered by the nonprofit Foundation for Free Enterprise Education.
For more information, call the foundation at 814-833-9576 or visit www.pfew.org. ••
