It’s the coolest summer camp Miranda McDonald has experienced.

While her friends are splashing around swimming pools and hanging out in the malls, the 17-year-old Lester B. Pearson student is busy figuring out how to start her new company – the one she’s planning on launching just as soon as she graduates from university.

Neil Speers, for Business Edge
Miranda McDonald, 17, is one of 22 students enjoying BizCamp at Bow Valley College.

McDonald is one of 22 Calgary high school kids who opted to spend three weeks of their precious vacation time this July learning about entrepreneurship through a pilot program at Bow Valley College called BizCamp.

“I love it. It’s so much fun, I actually like getting up in the morning,” says McDonald.

BizCamp was the brainchild of an anonymous Canadian donor who provided program funding through the (Izzy) Asper Centre for Entrepreneurship at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg. The donor was interested in assisting learners in both Winnipeg and Calgary, so the program was imported to Bow Valley College.

“The focus from the donor’s perspective is on kids who maybe are struggling a little bit in terms of staying in school, or who come from low-income families where the model for entrepreneurship might not exist,” says Elza Bruk, dean of business and industry for BVC.

“It’s only three weeks, so there’s only so much it can do, but ideally BizCamp can assist them by energizing them further to stay in school and stay on track – and eventually perhaps to consider entrepreneurship as a career.”

Grade 10 and 11 graduates are chosen through recommendations from both Calgary school boards and various community agencies, and must write a report describing why they’d like to attend the camp. After they complete the camp, they earn three credits toward their high school diploma.

Calgary’s business community been a big supporter of the fledgling camp. Students have toured Bernard Callebaut’s chocolate factory, the Royal Bank’s financial planning offices, the hallways of the Hyatt Regency Hotel and the boardrooms of the Calgary Chamber of Commerce to hear guest speakers talk about the challenges and rewards of business.

Speakers visiting the classroom have included financial wizards from Acumen Capital Finance, local small business merchants and restaurateurs who have outlined what it takes to build a company in the hospitality industry.

“It’s a summer camp, so it’s pretty important to have a fun component,” says Bruk, adding the students participate in team-building activities focused on running a business and producing a product.

But their biggest test is drafting and presenting a real business plan, which will be judged by a three-person panel from Calgary’s business community this week.

McDonald didn’t need to attend BizCamp to help her decide on a career – she’s already planning to open her own pet shop. “I love fish,” she says with a giggle.

But she says the summer camp has helped in charting her future. She’s already a bit of a veteran in commerce, having managed her high school’s Snack Shack and supervised a crew of employees at Cineplex Odeon. She’s now working part-time at two jobs as well as doing volunteer work.

“I’m kind of a free spirit. I like to do things on my own,” McDonald says. “I like looking at things differently, and thinking how I can change them and make them better, or market them.”

Bruk says Bow Valley College hopes this is the first of many summer seasons for BizCamp. “To date, it has been very well received,” she adds.

“The kids have fun, and they’ve attended regularly – and in the summer during Stampede week, that was an important kind of measure.”