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Five days and five years of college-level study. For one week, nearly 40 students from elementary and grammar schools became college students to experience life at the Faculty of Economics at the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen. The children finished five years of study with symbolic final exams and a graduation ceremony. They explored economics through games, team tasks, hands-on activities, and outdoor experiences. „We really enjoyed the whole week, but the highlight was the field trip to the Pilsen Public Transportation Authority. It was really interesting,” agreed Verča and Zdeňka. „For me, the best part was collecting the ‘Spořílky’ and the final auction where we could use them,” added Přemek.

 „This year’s program showed the children that logistics isn’t just about trucks, warehouses, and big companies, but also influences everyday decision-making. The children learned how transportation and logistics work in everyday life, practiced planning, and created their own travel journals with specific plans for their summer trips,” said Emil Vacík, dean of the Faculty of Economics.

The participants planned the route for the goods and the itinerary for the trip, solved the so-called “backpack problem,” and looked for a way to serve customers at the pizzeria without long lines. When designing the zoo, they thought through the layout of individual areas and paths, and in the model water park, they sought solutions to reduce wait times for visitors.

Other activities explored the history of transportation, shipping, the search for lost shipments, and reverse logistics—that is, the process of returning used or returned goods to the retailer or manufacturer. While preparing for the school festival, the children learned how many activities need to be coordinated to ensure that people, materials, and information arrive at the right place at the right time. Thursday’s field trip to the Plzeňské městské dopravní podniky (PMDP) then connected their knowledge to real-world operations. The children rode a historic trolleybus and visited the depot, the dispatch center, a hydroelectric power plant, and a substation on Denisovo nábřeží.

At the end of the week, they also prepared their own “thesis” in the form of travel journals, in which they reflected on what they had learned about transportation, route planning, and travel costs. This included a specific plan for three places they would like to visit during their summer vacation. At graduation ceremonies in Pilsen and Cheb, the graduates received certificates confirming their successful completion of the summer school.

The Homo Economicus Summer School is a five-day educational program organized by the Faculty of Economics at the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen, designed for children ages 7 to 15. Each year, the program introduces participants to a selected economic topic through games, teamwork, and hands-on activities. The fifteenth edition, subtitled „Logistics in Motion: When the Economy Moves,” was hosted simultaneously in Pilsen and Cheb. More information is also available on the Homo Economicus Summer School website.