Startup Hubs such as HQ Raleigh, American Underground, and Packard Place is the optimal environment for a summer program for high school students.
Showing videos throughout the week is key. Here’s one from our favorite, Kid President.
Student Introductions: Name, Age, School, What’s your dream job, Coding Experience?, Favorite Movie
Basically speed dating. Give students an opportunity to chat one on one to get to know each other.
Food is very important throughout the week. Students could bring their lunch but it’s much better if we have the funds to pay for lunch each day. During this lunch we helped prepare the students for the company visit to Magnus Health after lunch.
The purpose of company visits is not to simply go in and listen to a boring powerpoint for an hour. We tell all our host companies that we will come with questions and it’s even better when each students goes up to the front and sits next to the business leader and asks a question face to face. Then another students goes up.
Get the students to all join LinkedIn
This was an unplanned visit. We were eating in a restaurant when we asked the owner for a discount He said no but said, “I’ll show you my cabinet shop in the downstairs.”
Company visit in a tall building downtown Raleigh.
Walking is key the program. It’s crucial that each student is immersed into the community. The best way is to walk around the downtown area.
This was Rejection Therapy. We broke up into three groups and went to different restaurants to ask for a discount for our high school group.
Free lunch from Chickfila!
Another unplanned visit when a student pressed the intercom button outside a TV studio. The anchorwomen came out and agreed to give us a 5 min tour “even though she wasn’t suppose to.”
Visiting a local art museum is always a good experience.
Riding the R Line to our Volunteer Service
Practicing for the graduation pitch.
Last company visit of the week is usually Friday morning
At graduation each student stands up and shares their project (website)