Pennsylvania Free Enterprise Week!
“PFEW is unique in that it gave me a glimpse into the business world in a way that I don't think I could have experienced otherwise. There have also been incredible speakers with powerful messages that will change my life. The lessons in business and in life that I have learned here will be unmatched in any other event that I attend. Students need to experience this hands-on learning that will prepare future generations to become the next community leaders and understand what employers want and need.”
This quote from PFEW 2022 graduate Julia Bianchin from Butler Area Senior High School in Butler County describes why we support Pennsylvania Free Enterprise Week.
Julia is pictured here, front row, second from left, with her team, Chewnines, a Pet Supply company, at PFEW 2022.
PFEW prepares students like Julia to assume roles as our next great employees, employers, and community leaders. Because workforce development remains the top priority of Pennsylvania businesses, this program is needed more than ever.
Offered by the Foundation for Free Enterprise Education (FFEE), PFEW holds multiple week-long summer sessions for rising high school juniors and seniors on the campuses of Lycoming College and the Pennsylvania College of Technology in Williamsport. PFEW was created in 1979, and this year they will graduate their 50,000th young Pennsylvania leader.
PFEW is a hands-on program entirely funded and taught by practitioners from the PA business community, and that’s why it is so effective. Students form teams and run a modern manufacturing company using a powerful college-level simulation. They make the same decisions you make every day. Volunteer mentors provide guidance and insight into modern business operations. Teams are responsible for two judged presentations – a stockholders annual meeting and an advertising presentation - where they must demonstrate in-depth knowledge of all facets of business, finance, marketing and more. The week is highlighted by Speakers delivering life-changing messages directed at the students’ personal and professional development. An ethics case study, other business-related activities and a full immersion in the college experience round out this incredible week of learning.
This summer, PFEW plans to educate 1,650 students from all over the state, leaving them with a deeper understanding of business and the American free enterprise system and skills like leadership, communication, finance, marketing, critical thinking, work ethic, and other vital skills that position them to be our next business and community leaders. Students attend on a fully tax-deductible $695 sponsorship donated by a business, foundation, organization or individual. FFEE is an approved Educational Improvement Organization through the PA Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) program. I encourage you to provide PFEW sponsorships for our local students and, if possible, volunteers for the sessions.
FFEE offers two additional programs that prepare students for the workforce. The Stock Market Game (SMG) teaches students in grades 4-12 about investing and financial literacy, and the Speaker Series helps students explore careers and discover the knowledge and skills needed to become great employees. All Foundation programs are singularly focused on promoting the ideals of business and the American free enterprise system and developing our young people into productive, engaged employees and leaders. To learn more about these fantastic FFEE programs, visit www.pfew.org or contact Scott Lee, VP of marketing & development for the Foundation for Free Enterprise Education at (814) 833-9576 ext. 8, or scott@pfew.org.
