Young entrepreneurs showcase their creativity
By Joan Janzen
CF Meridian in Kindersley joined Grade 5 students from Elizabeth Middle School on Thursday, June 23, for an exciting entrepreneurship fair! Family, staff, friends and students were busy checking out all the vendors and purchasing their products. The atmosphere was alive with excitement!
In preparation for this grand event, teachers Ms. Teagan Belitski and Ms. Kirsten Elder had been busy introducing a new youth entrepreneurship class called Power Play to their students. “From day one of explaining this project, my students have been so intrigued, curious, and engaged!” Ms. Elder said. “Their product is all they can talk about! At first, they had some trouble deciding which product they would create, but now I can’t slow them down. I think they surprised themselves by how creative they are.”
Their creativity was visible for all to see in the wide variety of products displayed at the entrepreneurship fair. Products included hydro-dipped baseballs, sport-themed picture frames, hockey lace bracelets and keychains, hand painted upcycled DVDs/CDs, bath salts, bath bombs, Pride pens and pins, lip gloss, all-occasion cards, paintings, slime, paper clip bracelets, tie-dye clothing, animal ear headbands, scented candles, dog treats plus more! It was an impressive display of products.
CF Meridian Region assisted with some funding to help offset the costs of supplies to develop individual products featured and sold at Elizabeth School on the morning of June 23. Vickie Newmeyer, CEO of CF Meridian Region, provided an overview of the program and its integration with the curriculum.
Power Play is designed to help students develop an entrepreneurial mindset and has been successfully running in Canada for over 20 years. Students learn about setting goals for a successful business, market research and how to write a creative product description. They also learn about the financial aspect of business, including loans, budgeting, calculating costs, and making a business plan.
According to Ms. Newmeyer, educators have been very pleased with the strong connections to the curriculum and the engagement level of all types of student learners. The program is easy to implement with the help of a teacher manual, student workbooks and parent information packages. Student-focused videos and teacher tutorials are available for online support. Approximately two hours of class time are required each week, and the program typically runs over six weeks. Educators appreciate that the program makes it easy to create personalized learning experiences, enabling students from grades 4-8 to have fun exploring the world of business.
After all their hard work, Kindersley’s Grade 5 students enjoyed showcasing their achievements and earning money at the “Young Entrepreneur Show” at their school. But they also learned about social responsibility by donating a portion of their profits to charity. According to Ms. Elder, these students are a generous bunch; most of the students have decided to give between 50 and 100 percent of their proceeds to the Kindersley Crisis Centre.
Everett Herbert was just one of the many students selling his products at the Entrepreneurship Fair held at Elizabeth Middle School on June 23. He was running a thriving enterprise, selling scented candles and running an interactive game.
PHOTO BY JOAN JANZEN
