YEBW is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to building the next generation of business leaders. Our unique business and leadership programs aid in strengthening the future of Oregon and its high school student participants by producing week-long, hands-on learning experiences at the University of Portland (UP), University of Oregon (UO), and Oregon State University (OSU) campuses.

YEBW participants spend one week on a college campus and are exposed to a challenging curriculum designed to teach students that business can be fun and exciting. During the programs, students are broken up into student-led companies, each of which is guided by a loaned executive from the business community who shares his or her knowledge and expertise throughout the week. The curriculum provides students with the financial literacy, business fundamentals, and confidence that they need to be self-sufficient and successful, thus priming the pipeline for the next generation of business and community leaders.

YEBW’s Programs

During YEBW’s first year program, Business Week, students are placed in mock companies where they create management teams, develop mission statements, invent a product, and conduct actual operation of their own business by competing in business simulations. However, the instruction goes far beyond the business curriculum. Designed to broaden the practical skill sets of each student, YEBW incorporates professional speakers and other interactive learning exercises such as mock interviews and networking events.

Launched in 2007, Investing Week gives returning students the opportunity to learn about basic investment vehicles, the principles of evaluating a potential investment, and understanding the personal and business effects of the financial market system. Led by CFOs, financial analysts, and private investors, Investing Week provides a smaller, more intimate experience for returning students, while still participating in large full-camp activities. Students are assigned to groups of three, where they will present recommendations to buy, sell, or hold a stock to a panel of judges at the end of the week.

Entrepreneur Week, created in 2009, provides returning students the chance to learn what it is like to start and run a business. At the end of the week, three
businesses will be selected to present before a panel of Venture Capitalists in a fun, Shark Tank-style pitch competition. The winners will receive some seed capital for their idea, or free round trip airplane tickets to fly anywhere in the USA! This will be an action-packed week of entrepreneurial awesomeness you don’t want to miss.