OKEECHOBEE– On July 2 the Employability Skills camp and Middle School Junior Leaders camp concluded their two week educational exploration into business leadership and local development.

The Employability Skills camp, led by Jennifer Wagoner, focused on learning the necessary skills to help young adults prepare to enter the workforce. The Middle School Junior Leaders camp, led by Walter Caves Jr., focused on inspiring teenagers to become role models and civic leaders. Both camps took field trips to local businesses and heard from many local leaders as guest speakers.

At the conclusion of the camp, the Junior Leaders gave presentations on subjects such as unused local buildings, food banks, development of a community center, animal shelters, and creating a system to help students earn community service hours with local organizations.

All students that successfully completed the camps were provided a $300 stipend provided by the Children’s Service Council and the Economic Development Corporation.

This was the second group to participate in both camps. The first group concluded their two week stint in the programs back on June 18.

“These two camps have been a dream for us for a long time,” said Pat McCoy, Okeechobee Schools Assistant Superintendent for Instructional Services, on June 18. “Okeechobee County Schools always wanted to do more of a partnership with businesses and the community in terms of helping kids be prepared for careers as well as college.”

The Education Foundation of Okeechobee helped organize the camps with help from the Okeechobee County Economic Development Corporation and the Economic Council of Okeechobee.

The summer camps were put together in a matter of weeks following the school district receiving money to implement more programs for students. Over 80 students applied to fill 15 slots of the summer camps. Organizers ended up adding extra sessions to accommodate more students.