VGCC to offer Agricultural Entrepreneurship youth camp

For the first time, Vance-Granville Community College will offer a camp this summer that allows young people to explore owning and operating their own agricultural small businesses.

The week-long NC REAL Agricultural Entrepreneurship Youth Camp is scheduled for June 22-26 from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. at VGCC’s Warren County Campus in Warrenton. The camp is open to juniors, seniors and recently graduated seniors from any high school in the region.

The program seeks to create a network of young, motivated individuals in an attempt to build more interest in the field of agriculture, develop and strengthen small business capacities of young farmers, provide networking opportunities to address common challenges that young farmers face and discuss strategies to be a successful agricultural entrepreneur.

“This camp is a natural fit for young agricultural entrepreneurs because it showcases that an agricultural small business is a real career option for those who relish the chance to call their own shots and turn a good idea into an economic opportunity, said Tanya Weary, director of the VGCC Small Business Center, which is organizing the camp. “Students will use their academic, creative, technological and social skills to enhance the success of small business ownership.”

The instructor leading the camp will be Crystal Smith, Warren County Director for North Carolina Cooperative Extension.

Students will build various skills, including business planning, marketing, agricultural production and crop management, value-added processing, accessing and managing finances, and business ethics. A field trip is also part of the curriculum. The camp is structured to enhance youth capacity in agricultural entrepreneurship, and promote economic vitality through sustainable agricultural business practices.

The cost of the camp is $125. Scholarships to offset the cost of tuition are available to qualified participants.

The deadline to register is June 1, and the camp is limited to 20 students.

Partners supporting the program are the North Carolina Tobacco Trust Fund Commission /Project Skill-UP, North Carolina Cooperative Extension and NC REAL Entrepreneurship . In addition, Warren County Schools will be providing lunch and snacks for students each day.

 

For more information and to register, contact Kyle Burwell, coordinator of Human Resources Development, at (252) 738-3276 or hrd-wk@vgcc.edu , or Tanya Weary at (252) 738-3240 or smallbusiness@vgcc.edu .