Cupcakes at Christmas and ‘nail painting at Noel’ saw a group of students from Castle Rushen High School raise more than ?200 for Junior Achievement Isle of Man.
Natasha Kelly, 17, together with Kirsty Brooks, Kinry Glassey and Matthew Gardner, all aged 16, organised a Christmas fair at their school last December, with Kirsty acting as nail technician for the evening and all four releasing their inner ‘Nigella’ or ‘Jamie’ and baking cupcakes offered for sale alongside stands selling Christmas gifts from local companies and charities.
The group chose to organise the event as part of the preparation for their entry in this year’s Junior Achievement company of the year challenge, where students are tasked to form into teams, set up a company and bring a product or service to market, then make a presentation to a panel of business experts.
Natasha explained: ‘Organising the fair was a first for all us. Having to arrange advertising and cold calling suppliers was good training for the challenge, as it helped with building up our self confidence and communication techniques. There were around 20 stalls at the fair and a steady flow of customers throughout the evening; two of us manned our stands while the other two did the “meeting and greeting”.
Central to the company of the year challenge is teamwork. Kirsty said: ‘We’re all working together in our team, but each of us has different skills. Natasha’s the “ideas” person, I’m more into design, Kinry’s the business side of the operation and Matthew’s our techie IT person.’
With the success of their first fair behind them, when they raised ?222.35p for Junior Achievement, the team is hoping to organise a second event in February, themed around Valentine’s Day.
…Heart-shaped cupcakes, anyone?
The company of the year event complements the Junior Achievement company programme, acknowledged worldwide as the leader in entrepreneurial education for young people. Research conducted in Europe has shown that more than 15 per cent of young people in the programme go on to open their own business compared to the national average of six per cent.
To find out more contact Joy Spence, joy@jaiom.im or Kirsty Coffey, kirstycoffey@jaiom.im.
Junior Achievement Isle of Man, Suite 2, Peterson House, Middle River, Douglas. 666266.
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