Shark Tank in Shandaken!

This Sunday night, the SECOND YEAR TEENS will compete in the SHARK TANK in front of the entire camp as a part of their “READY FOR LIFE”™ Program. Taken off of the popular TV show, 6 teams of Teens – the “Entrepreneurs” – will present their ideas for meaningful camp improvements – capital, operational or programmatic. These ideas must be well researched and creatively presented in front of the live audience on the TLC stage.

The six Sharks are some of our best Division Leaders. They will choose to “invest” in one or more of these ideas with a limited amount of “money” given to them by the camp. They need to invest wisely. The Teen Entrepreneurs win the FIRST ROUND by getting a Shark to invest. How much is invested determines the POTENTIAL prize for the Entrepreneur – AND for the campers in the Division represented by the “shark” investor.

The SECOND ROUND is when the real winners – IF ANY – are determined. That’s when the Shark Investors and Teen Entrepreneurs bring their ideas to Jay – the ultimate “market.” If HE decides that the idea is worth buying or doing for the camp – both the Teen Entrepreneurs and the entire Division represented by the investing Shark will win a great prize commensurate with the value of the original amount invested by the Shark.

“READY FOR LIFE”™ is a unique program here at TLC that exposes Teens to experiences that they will need as they prepare for the next phase of their lives. It includes smart decision-making; evaluating and taking prudent risks; how to prepare for and take an interview; what constitutes “success”; how “money” really works; and building self-esteem and self-confidence.

The SHARK TANK competition – aside from being a challenging activity – will allow Teens to practice the skills of teamwork, leadership, creativity and salesmanship. And it will be a lot of FUN – for the Teens and the full camp. STAY TUNED. . . . . .