“The most powerful tool that they have is their minds,” says Mayor Jim Ross while attending the final pitch day of the Chamber’s What’s Your Big Idea? Summer Camp.
For the past 17 years, the Greater Arlington Chamber of Commerce in partnership with the Arlington Independent School District and the University of Texas at Arlington, have hosted a What’s Your Big Idea? Entrepreneurship Contest. Sr. Director of Education, Workforce & Community Development, Alicia Collins-Butler said, “We challenge them to think outside of the box. Every year these young students surprise us with just how brilliant they are.”
From inventions that can save people’s lives to making sure you never run out of toilet paper, students find ways to not only solve problems that they have encountered in their short lifetime but creating solutions for everyone. It is truly an honor to get to see these kid’s imaginations run wild.
This contest came out of a need to fulfill the Chamber’s promise of developing the community’s future. Through creating an outlet for kids to begin thinking in an imaginative and entrepreneurial way, we are helping them develop skills that will help them become future business owners and entrepreneurs. “It’s through their bright ideas and inventions that Arlington is going to continue to improve the community,” says Michael Jacobson, CEO & President of the Greater Arlington Chamber of Commerce.
In April, we hosted the What’s Your Big Idea? Finalists Ceremony in which we awarded each of our top winners with a medal and a swag bag to show our appreciation for their amazing effort and imaginative idea, but the fun did not end there! With the help of our sponsors and UTA, we host our Big Idea Camp at the Center for Entrepreneurship & Economic Innovation on the UTA campus in which ten to fifteen of our top winners participate each year.
Throughout the week-long camp, students begin to dive deeper into their ideas and learn five key topics that will guide them to expand upon their original idea. On day one, they start thinking like an entrepreneur and understanding the mindset of creating a new innovation. Day two is knowing what tools the University and the world can offer them when creating their invention. Day three is learning how to forecast what the world needs now and what we might need in the future. Day four is all about branding and marketing your business or product in just the right way. Lastly, on day five students pitch their ideas to a room full of parents, Chamber Board Members and staff, and other community leaders including the Mayor of Arlington, Jim Ross.
Alicia Collins-Butler says, “The final day of camp is a culmination of their camp experience as well as presenting their pitches for the first time.” Through storyboarding and guidance from Camp Counselors, Shane Huff, Associate Director of Continuing Education at UTA, and Ms. G, a teacher at AISD, these students become confident and ready to share their ideas with some of the most prominent people in Arlington.
You might be wondering how your child can participate in the Big Idea Camp. Well, the contest’s top winners from each grade level in both the art and essay competition have the opportunity to join their fellow winners at a week-long summer camp. First place winners will receive a scholarship to attend the camp for free while second and third place winners are offered the option to attend the camp but for a small fee.
We are so proud of every single one of the students who participated in the 2023 WYBI? Contest and camp and would like to thank all of our sponsors who helped us make this event possible. We also could not make this a successful event without the help of our Partners in Education Committee who helps with organizing and judging each entry. 17 years of awakening the entrepreneurial spirit in our youth and we have no plans of stopping any time soon!
If you are interested in getting involved with What’s Your Big Idea?, please contact Alicia Collins-Butler, Sr. Director of Education, Workforce & Community Development.