SPARK - Business Academy (Grades K-12)
1 week sessions
9:00am - 12:00pm / 12:45pm - 3:00pm / 9:00am - 3:00pm
SPARK Business Academy
SPARK campers spend each day highly engaged in hands-on activities and gamification techniques as they develop essential 21st century skills. In all programs, campers will develop financial skills along with soft skills in communication, collaboration and public speaking, all while becoming business savvy! Most programs culminate with a showcase event each Friday that allows campers to present and learn from their peers.
SPARK has been offering empowering youth programs on financial literacy and entrepreneurship since 2013. Our skills-based programs help campers develop essential life skills and have received glowing parent testimonials. SPARK's unique programs have been featured in Business Week, Bloomberg TV, Georgetown Business and international newspapers.
*Participants must be enrolled in an AM Only program in order to participate in the PM Only program.
Dates, Hours, and Fees
| 2024 Dates | AM Only (Grades) | PM Only (Grades) | Full Day (Grades) | ||
| June 10 - 14 | My First Piggy Bank (K-3) | Budding Entrepreneurs (4-8) | |||
| June 24 - 28 | My First Lemonade Stand (K-3) | Little Inventors (K-3) | |||
| Jr. CEOs (4-8) | Young Debaters (4-8) | ||||
| July 8 - 12 | My First Passport (K-3) | Little Shoppers (K-3) | |||
| My First Food Truck (4-8) | Read All About It! (4-8) | ||||
| July 15 - 19 | Money Math (K-3) | Young Philanthropists (K-3) | |||
| Bulls & Bears (4-8) | Sports Management (4-8) | ||||
| July 22 - 26 | My First Piggy Bank (K-3) | My First Lemonade Stand (K-3) | |||
| Aspiring Fashionistas(4-8) | Model UN (4-8) | ||||
| July 29 - August 2 | Little Inventors (K-3) | My First Passport (K-3) | Teen Consultants (8-12) | ||
| August 5 - 9 | Little Shoppers (K-3) | Money Math (K-3) | |||
| Young Debaters (4-8) | Budding Entrepreneurs (4-8) | ||||
| Hours | |||||
| AM Only | 9:00am – 12:00pm | ||||
| PM Only | 12:45pm – 3:00pm | ||||
| Full Day (Teen Consultants Only) | 9:00am – 3:00pm | Fees | |||
| AM Only | $415/week | ||||
| PM Only | $325/week | ||||
| Full Day (Teen Consultants Only) | $675/week | ||||
Weekly Themes/Programs
Aspiring Fashionistas
In this stylish program for boys and girls, campers gain knowledge of the fashion industry and develop skills in fashion design, fashion marketing, fashion journalism and branding. Campers develop sketching skills, explore popular brands, analyze industry trends (e.g., athleisure), design various articles of clothing, define their own brand, explore careers in fashion and more!
Budding Entrepreneurs
Join other intrepid campers and develop a business plan for your own business idea. You will learn to take risks and persevere, while making business-like decisions about strategy, marketing and finance (optional activities include building a website and designing business cards). Campers build confidence "learning by doing" throughout the week and make their pitch presentations on the last day!
Bulls & Bears
Learn investing fundamentals and how you can start investing at a young age! Build your own $100,000 stock portfolio and trade stocks like Apple, Nike or Amazon with a cool investing simulation tool. This hands-on experience empowers campers with the tools and mindset to face future investment decisions with confidence and buy low, sell high! A solid foundation for successful future investors!
Jr CEOs
How cool would it be for you to be the boss at Apple or Amazon for a day? In this leadership program, you can! Campers act as CEOs for leading companies and collaborate to make strategic recommendations to address real business issues. Case studies include popular companies and examine the role of female and minority CEOs. Campers enhance their problem-solving skills, develop business savvy and cultivate a strategic mindset as future leaders.
Little Inventors
Are you ready to innovate? Get your creative juices flowing in this project-based program, where you will identify the need for an invention, think on your feet, and create structures and solutions. Campers also learn about famous inventors and internalize how recent innovations improve our lives.
Little Shoppers
Do you like to shop till you drop? In this practical program, campers become savvy shoppers through games and hands-on projects. Experiential bartering and purchasing activities help campers internalize key concepts related to money choices, like needs versus wants. Campers analyze marketing power, put their cashier math skills to the test, and engage in dynamic marketplaces taking turns as buyers and sellers.
Model UN
Campers act as United Nations (UN) delegates, collaborating in teams to develop policy recommendations and debating current global issues aligned to the UN’s sustainable development goals. Participants enhance their research and communication skills, while gaining a solid exposure to debating international affairs, problem solving in a diplomatic context, and making persuasive presentations.
Money Math
This innovative foundation on financial literacy also serves as a practical math lab where campers learn and reinforce computational skills, while developing a mindset for healthy financial habits. From playing money math games to learning about budgeting through engaging activities, campers have fun while they enhance their “real life” math skills!
My First Food Truck
Campers select a food theme, choose an ideal location, identify target customers, design appealing menus, and form a comprehensive business plan covering strategy, marketing, operations and finance, including capital-raising needs. Activities include drafting mission statements, setting prices, estimating expenses and learning key financial metrics. This program offers a tasty way to develop business savvy!
Note: no food is handled at camp.
My First Lemonade Stand
Let's sell lemonade! Young campers become "lemonade entrepreneurs" and learn how to make yummy lemonade and earn money selling it! From designing marketing flyers to estimating profits to experimenting with recipes, campers have fun all week while developing business savvy. As an optional showcase event, campers launch the lemonade stand on Friday to raise money for a charity they select!
My First Passport
This fun program helps campers develop a global mindset and build international awareness early in life! Explore cultural differences across countries, geography games, famous landmarks, world currencies, current global events, the role of international institutions like the UN, and more. Campers role-play as diplomats and come up with solutions to key global problems like hunger, poverty and pollution.
My First Piggy Bank
Earn, save, spend, donate! Let's learn about money! This innovative program provides a solid foundation on financial literacy for kids in a fun setting. Games and hands-on activities help campers internalize key concepts (like money, budgeting and saving) in an engaging and supportive environment fostering teamwork. Students use their arts & crafts skills to make their own piggy banks!
Read All About It!
Campers collaborate in teams as intrepid reporters who write stories andcreate a digital newspaper of their own. Our junior journalists interview other campers, write about local news, author op-ed pieces and manage the production of a cohesive digital publication. A compelling camp for aspiring school newspaper editors, this program strengthens campers’ writing proficiency and time-management skills in a fun environment that fosters creativity and self-confidence.
Sports Management
For the sports lover, future team General Manager, sports team owner or ESPN analyst, this unique program helps campers view the world of sports from a business perspective. Campers participate in fun mock drafts for various sports and analyze different sports topics, including player contracts, college sports, NIL, endorsements, the Nike vs Under Armour competition, sports agents, the Super Bowl, e-sports and more!
Teen Consultant
More info on Summer Equity and Justice Institute webpage.
Young Debaters
Campers learn the art of persuasion and help select debate topics they find interesting. In a public forum debate format, campers work in groups and practice their debating skills in a supportive environment, including developing arguments, issuing rebuttals, providing examples, rebuilding their case and summarizing points of view. Campers learn to think on their feet and enhance their public-speaking skills, gaining self-confidence in the process.
Young Philanthropists
Campers internalize the benefits of doing well and doing good, reviewing a number of charities and discussing the merits of giving back. Campers collaborate in small teams to select a charity or issue they feel passionate about and come up with practical ways they can support that cause (including raising awareness, volunteering and fundraising), then create their own mock foundation!