An ice cream sale held on Queen’s campus recently was aimed at helping a special group of teenagers learn about entrepreneurship, and develop money management and business leadership skills.

About 20 youths gathered in Mackintosh-Corry Hall’s Student Street and attracted passers-by to their neatly-organized tables selling a variety of ice-cream sundaes and toppings.

The 'Build a Business workshop' was an activity of the fourth annual PrepU, an initiative of the Enrichment Studies Unit (ESU) in the Division of Student Affairs, as part of Queen's membership in the Crown Ward Education Championship Team. The team develops programs to help youth with Crown ward status in secondary schools develop self-advocacy skills, and provides them with tools for success, including access to experiences like PrepU.

“PrepU is a way to introduce these students to post-secondary opportunities, and to increase their comfort level in a university environment,” says ESU Program Coordinator Hanna Knowles. “We want to expose them to the possibilities that are part of post-secondary education, and encourage them to believe that these opportunities are attainable for them.”

PrepU 2017 featured workshops in engineering, journalism, and business management taught by Queen's students, faculty, and community-based professionals. The students also took a biology field trip to Queen’s Elbow Lake Environmental Education Centre, and were given a tour of the Queen’s campus that included stops at the ARC, John Deutsch University Centre, Grant Hall, Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts, and Victoria Hall, where staff talked about the services and supports available to all students to help them succeed academically and personally.

“This was easily the best experience of my life,” said one PrepU participant. “I have never been so enlightened and I am so happy to have met all of the amazing people.”

More information about the Crown Ward Education Championship Team of South Eastern Ontario is available online.

PrepU is one of several programs offered by the ESU to youth in grades 7-12. Students from across Ontario have been on campus throughout the month of May and the Summer Enrichment Experience @ Queen’s (SEEQ) program for grades 8-12 is running in August. Students can commute or live in residence for five days and take mini-courses taught by graduate students. Learn more about ESU programs.