Pennsylvania Free Enterprise Week, PFEW, is an educational program that teaches students about business and the free enterprise system. The program is held on a college campus and students get a choice of four weeks to attend. Throughout the week-long program, students get to stay in the college dorms, work in a team to run a business, eat at the dining hall, attend valuable seminars, and more. PFEW provides a positive environment for students to learn more about the world of business and to meet new people.
I attended PFEW at Lycoming College from July 7-12. After registration, I got my room key and was given a short tour of the campus. I roomed with fellow Hamburg student, Juliette Buckwalter. After getting settled in the dorms, we were put into groups of about 20 students, our new teammates, and had a company advisor to help guide us through the week. Company advisors were adults who either owned their own companies or were involved in the business world. They would help their team by giving advice and guiding them when they had questions.
Each team was assigned an industry in which their company was competing. They then had to design a product and company name. After that was the important step of electing a CEO, one student on the team who they thought displayed the most leadership potential. Then, they had to split into marketing and finance teams. The finance team had to run a college level business simulation, and make all of the necessary financial decisions involved in running the company. The marketing team had to develop a logo, commercials, print ads, and a website in order to run the marketing side of the business. Both the finance and marketing teams also had to prepare a presentation for the last day of the program.
PFEW is not all work. Throughout the week there were fun activities, including junk night, where the company advisors bring in old junk and students have to create a product from it, debates, trivia, and guest speakers. The guest speakers taught the students many valuable lessons that can be applied to both the business world and everyday life. PFEW also provided the opportunity to meet new people and make lifelong friends. Even though only a short period of time is spent in the program, deep and meaningful connections are made.
Another positive aspect of attending PFEW is the college experience. During the program, students sleep in the dorms, live in the dorms, work in college classrooms, eat in the dining hall and navigate the college campus. This allows students to get a feel for college life and helps to prepare them for the future.
Overall, PFEW is a wonderful experience that provides valuable lessons and information on a variety of topics. It is not just a program where students learn about business, because they learn and gain so much more from the experience that will aid them in the future. The cost for registration is $295, however local businesses often offer sponsorships that help to lower the cost for students. For more information on how to attend contact Mrs. Keck or Mrs. Del Conte.
