The 24-hour camp

On Wednesday 9 October about at noon we headed by bus to Kaunisniemi camp center in Lammi and the 24-hour entrepreneurship camp.

After everyone had settled down, the campers including all the Germans and some Finns gathered to the main hall to start the camp on the lead of the leaders. Then we went out to form the groups in which the campers would work during the whole camp. As Valeri and Lauri were leaders, me and Vera were some special advisors without an official assignment. We helped the campers with the presentations and also documented the camp. Furthermore I had to collect and show the presentations in the presentation session of the morning.

When group members had become acquainted with each other, the work started. The groups were told to make up some new business ideas that could work in real life. They had just a little time to first do brainstorming about possible ideas, then to select the best and develop it, and finally do SWOT analysis about the idea.

After coffee break, it was time to start an essential part of the 24h camp, the task points. There were eight task points as well as groups and every group went through each of them. In three workshops the groups did things related to their businesses: they did their business plans, developed the products and invented a name and a logo for the companies.

The other five task points were very different. Lauri and Valeri were responsible for "Logwork Orange", a special relay were teams had to try particular uncomfortable "sports" for example running with a log between the legs and an orange under the chin. In one task point the groups had to complete as many missions as possible in a short time, in another they had to solve a fictional murder mystery, one was a cake decorating task and the last was just a casual Singstar playing point. In the middle of the task points we had dinner.

When the task points were over we ate some evening snack. The night time was for preparing Powerpoint presentations about the businesses because in the morning the groups would give presentations to a prestigious jury. In the evening we guys went to sauna and taught some Finnish sauna habits to Simon, Christopher and Mr Vogt. They stood the heat well. Other night activities were Singstar and Guitar Hero. Many students stayed up all night and therefore were seriously tired the next day. I admit that myself too.

At 6 am it was time to wake up for those who weren't awake already. After a lazy morning workout the groups had to give a fashion parade where one person from each group wore a plastic bag.

Before the groups presented their businesses to the jury we had breakfast and the teams prepared themselves. At 9 o'clock a special guest, a tourism entrepreneur from Evo national park visited the camp and started the final presentations.

After the last coffee break the jury revealed the winners who were allowed to select their prizes first from the huge award table full of gift products. The title of the best business idea of the 24-h camp 2013 went to FREDcellent healthy lifestyle mobile application. The best groups from each competitive task points, for example the cake baking, were awarded too. Every camper earned a diploma and then the hard camp had ended..