Opportunity Guide I Summer, Enrichment & Activities Guide

Does your child long for summer so that he can run a lemonade stand? Does he want to create a new cryptocurrency for his school? If business is in your child’s blood, plenty of meaningful business opportunities await him. Start at school: many schools offer business courses or have business-related clubs. At the high school level, nationally-recognized business associations offer a wide variety of exciting learning activities and competition opportunities. A child can also gain insight and excellent business experience by taking a business position (e.g. business/finance manager or team manager) in a school club or sports team. If school-based courses or clubs are hard to come by, check out your local community college for opportunities or encourage him to start a club to create his own.

Outside of school, check out university and/or community college summer business courses like finance, marketing or entrepreneurship. Encourage your child to get a paying job or to apply for an internship/volunteer job at a local company or nonprofit. If your child is a member of an extramural club such as Boy Scouts or a private swim team, volunteering for a business or management role in the club is also a good way to get hands-on, real-life business experience. Finally, with so many online resources available to run and promote a home-based business, a child with a special interest can flex their entrepreneurial muscles by offering babysitting services, handmade jewelry, website design or other product or service.



  1. Capitol Debate's goal is to enrich the lives of students through communication programs including public speaking, debate, business and STEM communication summer camps. To do that, we gather expert… Read more
  2. The Conrad Challenge is an annual, multi-phase innovation and entrepreneurial competition that encourages young adults to leave their mark on the world. Each year, teams of 2-5 students, ages 13-18,… Read more
  3. The National Personal Finance Challenge provides middle and high school students (gr. 6-12)* with an exciting and motivating opportunity to build, apply and showcase their knowledge of this important… Read more
  4. Since 1985, Envision’s immersive career exploration and leadership development programs have inspired more than 800,000 students. Located at top college campuses across the country, Envision programs… Read more
  5. EXPLO summer programs allows students to investigate subjects they’re not likely to encounter during the school year. Our courses aren’t for credit and are ungraded. They encourage students to step… Read more
  6. FBLA-PBL inspires and prepares students to become community-minded business leaders in a global society through relevant career preparation and leadership experiences. FBLA-PBL programs focus on:… Read more
  7. ICS maintains a listing of hundreds of academic competitions in order for students to get ranked in their ICS Global Academic Champions Ranking. Since 2012, ICS has been defining best-practices in… Read more
  8. Summer camp? Sort of... but better. Our programs aren't ordinary, and neither are our students. They build robots, perform chemical analyses, explore entrepreneurship, and explore ecosystems. They… Read more
  9. Since 1989, the National Student Leadership Conference has invited a select group of outstanding middle school and high school students to participate in its fast-paced, high-level, interactive… Read more
  10. The Office of Precollege Programs supports and oversees a wide range of youth outreach activities designed to increase college access and academic preparation for Oregon’s youth. Academic programs… Read more
  11. Splash! is a yearly academic outreach program by many universities that invites high school students to attend classes created and taught by students, alumni, and local community members. Splash was… Read more