譯/莊蕙嘉
Summer camp: It's not just for campfires, crushes on counselors and crying alone in a bunk bed. Summer camp is also for capitalism.
夏令營:不只是營火晚會,愛上指導員和雙層床上獨自哭泣。夏令營也關乎資本主義。
Or at least it is for a growing number of children whose parents enroll them in workshops and sleep-away trips that focus on stimulating the entrepreneurial mindset, enlightening youth about the importance of innovation, and imbuing the next generation with an appreciation for surplus value.
或者,至少對於為數愈來愈多的特定兒童而言確是如此。他們的父母替他們報名各種工作坊和外宿的活動,聚焦於激發創業思維,向青年提點創新的重要,並讓下一代重視附加價值。
Biznovator, a company in South Florida, offers a slew of camps, academies and programs that are designed to teach students about how to be businesspeople and innovators (biznovators!). That includes the weeklong "Kamp for Kids," which this summer will be held at the Divine Savior Academy, in Doral, Florida.
佛羅里達州南部的Biznovator公司提供許多精心設計的夏令營、課程和專案,教導學生如何成為商業人士及創新家(也就是Biznovators!)那包含為期一周的「兒童營」,今夏將於佛州多拉市的聖救主學院舉辦。
There, children as young as 8 will learn how to monetize their hobbies, interview local corporate executives and shoot YouTube commercials for their prospective businesses.
在那裡,兒童們將學習如何把興趣變成金錢,訪問當地企業的主管,以及為了他們將來的生意攝製YouTube廣告片,而參加的兒童最年幼者只有八歲。
It also includes the more advanced "Connect Camp," for preteens and high schoolers, which is typically run at Florida International University. Campers get tours of places like a Starbucks corporate office or the Federal Reserve, and are tasked with analyzing problems facing various companies and industries.
夏令營也包含針對前青少年期兒童和中學生的更高階「連接營」,通常在佛羅里達州國際大學舉辦。夏令營學員到星巴克企業辦公室或聯邦準備理事會這些地方參觀,並被賦予分析各種公司和產業所遭遇問題的任務。
A New York-based nonprofit, the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship, or NFTE, also runs in-school and summer programs for students in sixth through 12th grades.
位於紐約的非營利組織「創業訓練網路」(NFTE),也針對6至12年級學生舉辦校內和夏令營隊。
The goal of the organization — founded almost three decades ago with support from billionaire philanthropists, multinational banks and corporate consultants — has been, since the beginning, to "activate the entrepreneurial mindset and build startup skills in youth," said Sophia Rodriguez, the director of research and analytics at NFTE.
這個組織將近30年前在億萬富豪慈善家、跨國銀行和企業顧問的支援下成立,其研究及分析總監蘇菲亞.羅德里蓋茲說,打從一開始該組織的目標就是「激發年輕人的創業思維,並培養打造新創企業的技能」。
Juan Casimiro, the founder and chief executive of Biznovator, believes children are never too young to start learning about business. "For more than 31 years, I've been running entrepreneurship, innovation, leadership camps — typically during the summers," Casimiro said. "When I got involved, it was harder to convince parents, funding sources, organizations, that kids can learn business very early.
Biznovator的創辦人兼執行長璜.卡西米洛相信,兒童開始學習商業知識永不嫌小。「我一直在舉辦創業、創新及領袖營隊—通常是在夏季,已經超過31年了。」卡西米洛說。「剛開始時,要說服家長、資金來源和各種組織孩子可以很早就開始學習商業知識,比現在困難。
They couldn't believe that a kid, at 10, can pick up these business principles and literally start their own little micro business."
他們無法相信,一個10歲的孩子可以理解這些商業規則,而且真的開始他們自己的微型企業。」
Now, Biznovator is piloting a Kamp for Kids program designed for children as young as 4 years old.
現在,Biznovator正試辦一項兒童營專案,專為最小僅四歲的兒童而設計。
說文解字看新聞
「資本主義」(capitalism)的精神在於自由市場經濟,資本是私人擁有,透過經濟行為獲取利潤。貨幣在市場流通,交換商品或服務,政府不干預市場,企業自由競爭。本文的資本主義,延伸為兒童夏令營最新主題。
「兒童學理財」的潮流已在各國風行多年,本文介紹的是更上一層樓的夏令營,學習的是「創業」(entrepreneurship);不只是學習如何管理既有的財富,而是學習如何運用資本創造財富。
Summer camps(夏令營)顧名思義,指在暑假期間舉辦的營隊活動,對象主要是中小學生,通常是在外過夜,長度自數天到兩三周不等。夏令營源自歐美,早期的活動內容以戶外為主,campfire(營火晚會)更是營隊的高潮。
近年來夏令營類型不斷推陳出新,performing arts camps(藝術營)教授音樂、戲劇、舞蹈或辯論,adventure camps主要以海外遊學為賣點,曾經風靡一時的combat camps(戰鬥營)包括體能、減肥或各種運動項目,tech camps教學生寫程式或做機器人。
本文提到的創業夏令營應可歸類為academic camps,學術性質的夏令營著重教導學生知識,例如語言、升學課程及財經。