Online & In Person Academy
One of the most immersive business education experiences at your fingertips.
Why participate?
Students get to learn about some of the most powerful business operations in the world.
When Youth About Business started in 1992, we were a small Nashville-based organization of seven students with big dreams. Those dreams have taken us onto the floor of the stock exchange in New York, the Chicago Mercantile Exchange Floor, and into corporate headquarters where our students learn about some of the most powerful business operations in the world.
YAB STAT:
90% of our participants go on to college
A New Frontier
With in-person and digitized models, we can reach thousands of students.
Over the past 28 years, Youth About Business has developed an extensive network of corporate partners that fund our programs and support our students as teachers and mentors. From seven students to over 8,000, our student and alumni network is growing along with our programming and curriculum. Our summer business camps have been held in Nashville, New York, Chicago, Houston and Atlanta and in recent years, a new frontier – the virtual platform.
Expanding our program through a hybrid of our popular in-person and digitized models means we can now reach thousands of students each year. Those students are able to access hundreds of working business professionals as teachers and mentors.
YAB STAT: 90% of our participants go on to college
Our Curriculum
Read about our extensive program that helps develop students’ understanding of business concepts.
June 16th – 17th
Global Business Economy of America Conference
(Virtual Mornings with Evening Sessions for preapproved special circumstances)
The first program of our YAB Online Academy is a 2-day intensive seminar on the U.S. economy, the global economy, and the economic impact of coronavirus on both. All YAB students will take part in this initial phase of our online academy. At the program start, students in the Business Economy of America will take an entry-level diagnostic exam and they will take a post-diagnostic exam at the program finish to assess their understanding of the business principles and knowledge they acquired during this session. Based on their post-diagnostic results, YAB students will either enter into our Summer Business Camp or our Leadership Development and Career Preparation program.
June 23rd – 27th – Southeast Summer Business Camp (In Person, Nashville, TN)
- Site Host: Owen Graduate School of Business
- Residence: Vanderbilt University
July 7th – 11th – Northeast Summer Business Camp (In Person, New York, NY)
- Site Host: Columbia Graduate School of Business
- Residence: Towers at City College
Based on their post-diagnostic test results from the Business Economy of America session, hundreds of students will move on to the Youth About Business Summer Business Camp. This session of the summer business camp is built around teaching students the principles of business mergers and acquisitions. Throughout this week-long camp, YAB students will work in teams and learn from accountants, analysts, attorneys, investment bankers, human resource executives, marketing executives, and IT professionals about the process of consolidating companies or assets.
This immersive learning experience will uniquely prepare students with a skillset to understand the world of high corporate finance and business leadership. At the end of the camp, each student team will make a presentation on their simulated merger and acquisition proposal, and compete with other teams to see who negotiated the best deal.
Their presentations will be evaluated by a panel of national business leaders. From this competition, nine teams will be invited to the Youth About Business Championship Camp in New York City. All participants will be invited to our Wall Street Conference and join us in the fall for our monthly year round programming beginning in September of that year.
June 30th – July 2nd
- Site City: Youth About Business Headquarters, Nashville, TN
- Residence: Aloft Nashville West End
Get an inside look at competitive careers in high-demand industries.
Over three days, students tour major companies, take seminars with senior executives (partners, SVPs, and managing directors), and experience what it’s like to navigate the world of business—all in a fun, hands-on setting.
Nashville’s $67 billion healthcare industry supports 500,000 jobs and is home to over 900 companies, making it a national leader in healthcare innovation and business.
- We are asking students traveling from out of state to arrive in Nashville on July 30th and depart the morning of July 3rd.
July 23rd – 25th (New York, NY)
- Site City: New York City, NY
- Residence: Hyatt on the Hudson, Jersey City
As the global hub of finance, NYC is where billion-dollar deals happen daily—offering access to Wall Street, top firms, and careers. During this week long Conference, students will have the opportunity to :
- Tour Corporate HQ’s
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Explore an in-demand city
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Enjoy time with friends
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Hear from engaging speakers
Day One
- Intro Plenary Sessions
- Networking Opportunities
- Speaker Sessions
- Games / Competitions
Day Two
- Corporate HQ Visits
- Student Outings
- Enjoy the City
Day Three
- Keynote Speaker
- Conference Wrap-Up
- Final Student Outing
Day Four
- Travel and Departure
Championship Camp (By Invitation)
July 28th – Aug 1st
Championship Camp (In Person & Hybrid)
After the Summer Business Camp merger & acquisition simulation and competition, nine of the top-performing teams will qualify for the Youth About Business Championship Camp. During this camp, students will work on a more complex M&A simulation. This will allow them to deepen their knowledge of the principles they learned in the Summer Camp and work more closely with some of the most prominent business professionals in the world to refine their presentations.
Why the Merger & Acquisition simulation?
Youth About Business builds its programming around the merger and acquisition simulation because it offers an engaging, challenging, and fun opportunity for our students to develop skills in critical thinking, analysis, team work, conflict resolution, and negotiation. We understand that these are all skills that are important for our students whether or not they go on to work as business professionals. This type of business immersion and exposure uniquely develops the personal and professional skills needed as these young people pursue a broad range of career aspirations. We want to help with career preparedness “one merger and acquisition” at a time.
Year Round Leadership Development and Career Preparation
September 2025- May 2026
Monthly Leadership Development In Person, Webinars and Virtual Sessions with Corporate Partners and Volunteers
Every 3rd Thursday, 7PM ET/6PM CT
YAB students will take part in the Leadership Development and Career Preparation session where they will be exposed to various careers and use case studies to further their understanding of the business world. The curriculum will allow them to tackle subjects ranging from “How Corporations are Structured” to “The Language of Business-Personal Finance.”
2025 Important Dates
All year round YAB students learn about high level corporate finance and business leadership
Now – May 31st
Accepting Online Applications. Deadline 5PM on May 31st.
Introductions (Required For All Camp Students)
June 16th – 17th – Business Economy Seminar (Virtual with Morning & Evening Sessions)
Summer Business Camps & Conferences
June 23rd – 27th – Southeast Summer Business Camp (Hosted in Nashville, TN)
June 30th – July 2nd – Healthcare Conference (Hosted at Youth About Business HQ, Nashville)
July 7th – 11th – Northeast Summer Business Camp (Hosted in New York, NY)
July 23rd – 25th – Wall Street Conference (Hosted in New York, NY)
July 28th – Aug 1st – Championship Camp for all Basic Camp Finalists ( Hybrid, In Person in NYC 7/30-8/1; By invitation Only)
Year Round Programming
September 2025- May 2026 –Monthly Leadership Development Webinars and Virtual Sessions with Corporate Partners and Volunteers