The Grand Rapids Public Library and Junior Achievement of the Michigan Great Lakes are the recipients of a 2-year, $50,000 grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). The funds will be used to run a 10-week summer camp that will teach middle and high school students how to develop an app and bring it to market.

Code Camp: Build a Business with Junior Achievement will run from June 14 – August 23 at two GRPL locations. During the course of the camp, students will learn how to solve a problem in the community by launching their own start up business app. In addition to developing an app, the camp will follow the JA Company Program®, which teaches business and entrepreneurial skills. Code Camp is free to attend. Students can register at grpl.org/. Limited drop-in space is available. Call 616-988-5400 in advance to see if space is available.

“Junior Achievement of the Michigan Great Lakes is excited to collaborate with the Grand Rapids Public Libraries to offer enhanced activities for the summer through JA entrepreneurship programming for students. This is a positive example of a successful partnership between a government based organization and a non-profit organization,” remarked Bill Coderre, President Junior Achievement of the Michigan Great Lakes.

The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of federal support for the nation’s 123,000 libraries and 35,000 museums. Their mission is to inspire libraries and museums to advance innovation, lifelong learning, and cultural and civic engagement. Their grant making, policy development, and research help libraries and museums to deliver valuable services that make it possible for communities and individuals to thrive. To learn more, visit imls.gov and follow IMLS on Facebook and Twitter.

Junior Achievement of the Michigan Great Lakes is the nation’s 22nd largest JA chapter and an area office of JA USA, the world’s largest organization dedicated to educating students about workforce readiness, entrepreneurship, and financial literacy through experiential, hands-on programs. The organization offers programs to help prepare young people in Mid, West, and North Michigan for the real world by showing them how to generate wealth and effectively manage it, how to create jobs which make their communities more robust, and how to apply entrepreneurial thinking to the workplace. Students put these lessons into action and are empowered to own their economic success. Visit westmichigan.ja.org for more information.