Second Annual 'Northern Tier Business Adventure' Planned

Ninth- and 10th-graders from six Pennsylvania counties will gain hands-on entrepreneurial experience when the Second Annual Northern Tier Business Adventure is held April 17-20 at Pennsylvania College of Technology's North Campus near Wellsboro.

Students from public and parochial schools in Bradford, Potter, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Tioga and Wyoming counties will learn about the workings of the free-enterprise system and prepare themselves for successful careers, learning from businessmen and businesswomen in their own community.

The NTBA program is based on the award-winning Pennsylvania Free Enterprise Week. The Foundation for Free Enterprise Education is partnering with area high schools, businesses and Penn College's Workforce Development & Continuing Education to offer the residential program.

In NTBA, students will receive hands-on opportunities to create and operate businesses from the ground up, learn about exciting career opportunities in their own back yard, and acquire lifelong skills in a fun-filled, team-oriented environment. Teams of students will be responsible for guiding a company through computer-simulated business cycles. In between company team meetings, participants will hear business and motivational speakers, design advertising campaigns and socialize.

Providing an "executive-on-loan company adviser" is central to NTBA's success, and each student company will have an adviser to guide it through the intense activities, acting as mentor and coach.

The goal is to help students understand the pressures of competition, the importance of teamwork and the need for quality and excellence, while opening their eyes to opportunities that exist within their own community.

Each student attends NTBA courtesy of a $250 "scholarship" donated by a company, foundation or civic organization. Scholarships cover meals, overnight accommodations, conference materials, activities and transportation once the program begins. NTBA hopes to provide scholarships for more than 100 students for the 2004 program.

A variety of volunteers including speakers, judges and night chaperones are needed to ensure the program's success. By sharing individual areas of expertise, NTBA speakers provide participants with a broad-based understanding of business issues and offer information that eases their entry into the workforce.

Students will be housed at the Penn Wells Hotel; all transportation between the hotel and Penn College will be provided. Adult chaperones and group leaders will be present throughout the program.

Applications will be available for ninth- and 10th-graders at the participating schools. The only cost to each student is a nonrefundable $50 registration fee.

Funding for the NTBA is being provided, in part, by a "Stay Invent the Future" grant from the state Department of Community and Economic Development. Contributors for the 2003 and 2004 NTBA events include Citizens & Northern Bank, Wellsboro; Ben Franklin Technology Partners, Upper Susquehanna Regional Office, Lewisburg; Penelec, Towanda; Pepsi Bottling Group, Williamsport; and Electri-Cord, Westfield.

For more information about the Northern Tier Business Adventure or to volunteer or provide a donation call (570) 327-4775 or (570) 724-7703, or send e-mail .