Timely Ideas founder John Crawford will be a guest instructor at Fairleigh Dickinson University’s (FDU) Discover Business Teen Camp which runs July 14-18, 2014 at its Florham campus in Madison, New Jersey. He will kick-off the week long camp by teaching teenagers from grades 9-12 about Teamwork & Leadership in Business. It is the fifth time in the past six years he has opened camp festivities. The Summer 2014 camp is sold out.
“We teach the kids team dynamics and how to lead on the first day, then break them into small teams and have them tackle fun group tasks,” said Crawford. “Since they work in teams throughout the week, we try to get them primed early so they can work together effectively.”
The Teamwork & Leadership segment covers a range of baseline topics, including:
● Being a team player in a global business environment.
● Group dynamics—how to work in a team and resolve conflicts.
● Group projects—collaboration and new technology methods.
● Effective management and leadership skills.
“Most of the kids have been on teams through sports or other activities so it’s a familiar concept,” said Crawford. “We try to draw from those experiences and relate that to how teams work in business.”
The format is highly interactive, with short lessons on each topic, followed by small group exercises that involve “learning by doing”. Emphasis is on making the content simple and reinforcing the knowledge gained with engaging group exercises and activities.
The aim of FDU’s Teen Business Camp is to provide attendees with a basic understanding of business concepts they can take away and knowledgeably talk about with family and friends. In addition to Teamwork & Leadership, the week long program covers: Communications, Networking, Finance, Marketing & Research, Entrepreneurship, and Business Planning. The week culminates on the last day with camp participants presenting simple business plans they put together from their learnings. The group business instruction is delivered each day from morning to mid-day, with the afternoons reserved for recreational and other activities such as outdoor games, nature walks and campus touring.
“The teen campers are always an energizing group,” said Crawford, adding, “I learn as much from them as they do from me.” In addition to guest instructing at the camp, Crawford is a Mentor in Residence at FDU’s Rothman Institute of Entrepreneurship and is a member of the university’s Wroxton College Advisory Committee.
About Fairleigh Dickinson University & the Teen Business Camp
FDU is New Jersey’s largest private university. Founded in 1942, it offers over 100 undergraduate and graduate degree programs, including doctoral programs in nursing practice, clinical psychology and school psychology; and an AACSB-accredited business school. Degree programs are offered on two New Jersey campuses and at two FDU locations outside the U.S.: Wroxton College, in Oxfordshire in England, and the Vancouver Campus, in British Columbia, Canada. The Teen Business Camp is in its 11th year and is run by The Rothman Institute of Entrepreneurship, FDU’s nationally recognized entrepreneurship center.
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