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For four weeks this summer, students from 54 counties in the state will participate in the Pennsylvania Free Enterprise Week program at Lycoming College.
Although normal attendance is usually around 2,000 students, due to COVID, according to Karen Musante, president and CEO of the Foundation for Free Enterprise Education, which runs the sessions, this year's program is limiting the number of students to 1,200 over the four weeks, with approximately 300 students per sessions.
The group is also altering other aspects of the program to include safety measures.
"We will be making many changes this summer to help ensure the safety of the entire PFEW community," Musante said.
"The most notable is limiting our program size to roughly two-third our normal capacity," Musante said.
"Some other changes include staggered registration and meal times, intense cleaning and sanitation, encouraging and providing outdoor work areas and using facilities that allow participants to maintain a safe distance," she said.
Last year, the in-person program was canceled due to the pandemic, which also moved the group to only hold sessions this year at Lycoming rather than at Penn College and Lycoming.
"We know that bringing people together in this unique setting opens students up to discoveries about themselves and the world," Musante said.
"The cancellation of PFEW 2020 has reinforced our sense that we do our best work when we are together as a learning community. It has reminded us that we best prepare our students to be critical thinkers, ethical citizens and compassionate beings when we can provide the complete residential experience. The residential setting of the college campus is the place where we fulfill our mission and do the noble work of transforming lives," she added.
Sessions this year are scheduled to run July 4-9, July 11-16, July 25-30 and Aug. 1-6. During their time on campus, the high school juniors and seniors form management teams comprised of 16 members and one adult mentor in order to run a simulated manufacturing company which competes against other student companies in a variety of intensive business competitions.
According to Scott T. Lee, vice-president of marketing and development at FFEE, "As they navigate the complex world of modern business operations, they discover skills, talents and career paths never before considered."
"Throughout the week, world class speakers come to deliver powerful messages about business, ethics, communication, entrepreneurship, teamwork, job skills and other topics that lead to personal and professional success," he said.
Musante added to Lee's statement by saying, "By doing this, we hope to open doors to career opportunities in our communities and state, ultimately improving the Pennsylvania business climate."
The program is available to every high school student in the state including public, private, parochial, cyber, charter, technical and homeschool. Scholarships provided by state businesses, Chambers of Commerce, foundations, civic organizations or individuals, provide funding for students to attend.
Lee noted that the sponsors believe that the key to the state's "future success lies in education our young people about private enter private enterprise and their future role in our economy and opening doors to careers right in their own communities."
Musante said that "perhaps the greatest measurement of PFEW's success lies in the words of our students, volunteers, visitors and donors."
"Each student writes a thank-you letter to their sponsor. In these letters, students describe in powerful detail the short-term impact of PFEW on their skill set, beliefs, knowledge and future plans," she continued.
"Many times, when visiting our partnering organizations and donors, we hear stories of students they have hired or provided an internship to as a result of their PFEW experience," she added.
Since the first PFEW program was held in 1979 over 46,000 students from every county have benefited from this unique concept in economic education.