Babson College Entrepreneurial Leadership Academy Launched for Ghana & Rwanda High School Students

WELLESLEY, Mass., July 29, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Babson College is conducting unique residential learning experiences in entrepreneurship for high school students in Ghana and Rwanda this summer.

The Babson Entrepreneurial Leadership Academy brings 100 selected students in each country together for a one-week intensive experience.

The effort is offered outside of major cities -- in Sekondi, Ghana and in Byimana, Rwanda -- in order to reach populations that seldom have such opportunities.

Classroom topics are varied and may include

• Am I An Entrepreneur?
• Modeling Leadership
• Recognizing Opportunity
• Inspiring A Shared Vision
• Creating Value For Customers
• Challenging The Process
• Identifying And Tracking Resources
• Enabling Others To Act
• Putting Your Plan Into Action, and
• Encourage The Heart.

Students are participating in topic sessions on Entrepreneurship and Leadership Skills.  The program leads students to develop and deliver a business idea during a final Rocket Pitch Competition.

The program is delivered by Babson faculty, students, staff and alumni who are working with small groups of students, sharing with them their own thoughts on becoming an entrepreneurial leader.

"This unique experience brings all segments of the Babson community together to work on this important project, giving all a chance to work in challenging conditions with a very diverse team," said Undergraduate Dean Dennis Hanno.

While this is the first time that Babson is offering these academies, the effort builds on more than 10 years of business instruction in these countries.  The Babson College-Rwanda Entrepreneurship Center was established in 2010 to assist in the development of entrepreneurs throughout Rwanda.  Babson has offered numerous courses in Ghana, among them Culture, Society & Entrepreneurship In a Developing Economy, teaching entrepreneurship to thousands of high school students in the region.

For updates on the Program, follow Dean Hanno's blog: http://blogs.babson.edu/ugdean/

Babson College is the educator, convener, and thought leader for Entrepreneurship of All Kinds(TM). The College is a dynamic living and learning laboratory, where students, faculty, and staff work together to address the real-world problems of business and society -- while at the same time evolving our methods and advancing our programs. We shape the leaders our world needs most: those with strong functional knowledge and the skills and vision to navigate change, accommodate ambiguity, surmount complexity, and motivate teams in a common purpose to create economic and social value. As we have for nearly a half-century, Babson continues to advance Entrepreneurial Thought and Action(TM) as the most positive force on the planet for generating sustainable economic and social value.

Babson College in Wellesley, Mass., is recognized internationally as a leader in entrepreneurial management education. Babson grants BS degrees through its innovative undergraduate program, and grants MBA and custom MS and MBA degrees through the F.W. Olin Graduate School of Business at Babson College. Babson Executive Education offers executive development programs to experienced managers worldwide. For information, visit www.babson.edu.

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SOURCE Babson College