DECA students lead business camps to inspire others – Scot Scoop News
A member of the Carlmont Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA) club helps students learn business concepts at Carlmont’s Business and Tech camp. “We have been running these camps for a few years now, and we have continued to develop the curriculum and find new ways to improve the camp. The students take nearly all the initiative in doing this, which helps create a fun and engaging learning environment for the camps,” said John Rowe, the advisor to Carlmont DECA.
This summer, Carlmont Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA) members are hosting camps to teach middle and high school students business fundamentals.
After six years of only offering a single camp, DECA is expanding its summer program to include two unique camps: the returning Business and Tech Camp, which provides a comprehensive introduction to business principles and digital skills, and, for the first time, Camp SPARK, which stands for Support, Purpose, Aspire, Reach, and Knowledge. Camp SPARK aims to focus on marketing and financial literacy.
Both camps are almost entirely planned and organized by DECA students, who manage everything from developing the curriculum to organizing the camp’s schedule.
“The students are responsible for the curriculum and how the camp will run, so I am mainly involved in managing the administrative side of the camps,” said John Rowe, the advisor to Carlmont DECA. “It’s very beneficial because the people that come to our camps are much more likely to listen to our high school students because they look up to them.”
Building off this student-led approach, the Business and Tech Camp, open to students entering grades six through 12, aims to teach students various valuable skills, including marketing strategies, digital design, data analysis, and the fundamentals of business and entrepreneurship. The camp guides students through interactive, collaborative activities where attendees will apply their knowledge and develop real-world skills.
“We want to provide attendees with a space where they can explore business concepts in a hands-on, engaging way,” said Nathan Paris, a junior who will be running the Business and Tech camp. “From designing advertisements to creating product prototypes, attendees will engage in collaborative activities to help them develop skills they can utilize in real-world situations.”
In addition to the Business and Tech Camp, incoming sixth to ninth-grade students can attend Camp SPARK. At Camp SPARK, students will get a hands-on introduction to digital marketing, developing a foundational understanding of key business concepts within the marketing field.
Attendees will work together to design posters, form creative promotional videos, and create infographics to develop a complete marketing campaign for a business of their choice. At the end of the camp, attendees will pitch their campaign to a panel of judges and parents.
“We designed Camp SPARK to help students build real-world skills, like public speaking, creative thinking, and how to work effectively on a team in a fun and engaging way,” said Avani Dixit, a sophomore and a co-founder of Camp SPARK.
Both camps will take place at Carlmont High School over summer break. Camp SPARK takes place in June, while the Business and Tech Camp will run between July and early August. For more camp information and registration details, visit the Carlmont Business website.
By combining education, creativity, and student leadership, Carlmont DECA’s summer camps seek to inspire young learners and provide them with the foundational principles of business so that they can be successful.
“Both of our camps are designed to inspire and teach youth about the future of business, marketing, and technology through a hands-on learning environment where students can develop real-world skills while having fun and collaborating with peers,” Paris said.