Youth entrepreneurship for a cause
February 9, 2007 | 12:00am
Poverty is one of " our country’s " biggest " problems. It’s everywhere, especially here in the big city. There are children selling sampaguita wreaths during gridlock traffic jams, countless beggars, and "rugby boys" taking whiffs of glue to numb hunger pangs. Poverty is such a big problem it’s even in places you don’t see. A peek under some of our bridges would show entire communities living right underneath the rumble of automobiles.
In short, poverty sucks for everyone. For those hit hardest by it, each day becomes a challenge and a struggle to see the next. For everyone else, it seems that the challenge is how to best help our impoverished brothers and sisters. Daunting as it may seem, it’s uplifting to know that some people are making calculated moves to help alleviate the problem of poverty in the Philippines.
Last Saturday, the Entrepreneurs School of Asia (ESA), in cooperation with the Philippine Center for Entrepreneurship, Gawad Kalinga (GK) Foundation, the Association of Filipino Franchisers, Inc. (AFFI) and GoNegosyo, launched the "Teenpreneur Challenge," a high school entrepreneurship competition that is also socially oriented. High school students were given assignments on how to conceptualize and improve the business performance of GK community livelihood projects. The schools, led by their respective mentors from the AFFI, split up into teams and were given products made by the GK communities to improve on.
The teams are given one month to come up with improvements on their respective products and as a true market test of their sustainability, will be sold in the Teenpreneur-GK bazaar at the SM Mall of Asia (in conjunction also with the Tourism Negosyo Expo) on the weekend of March 2-4, 2007.
During my visit to the ESA last weekend, I chatted with Joel Santos, co-founder of the school and chairman of the Teenpreneur Challenge. I found out from him that many of the GK communities make the same products  ashtrays, candleholders, doormats, and the like. But how many people really need this stuff? It became quite obvious to me what the problem here was. The communities are making the same merchandise, and in a competitive market, it becomes harder to sell your product if someone else is selling the exact same thing.
Here is where the high school students come in. "They (the high school students) are imaginative thinkers and usually think out of the box; and we want to make use of that. It becomes our job to focus that creativity into something that can be used to improve the livelihood projects of these GK communities," Joel says. Fresh ideas from these high school students can transform these boring products into goods that actually stand a chance in a competitive market.
To further hone their entrepreneurial skills, these high school students underwent training from the ESA itself and listened to speakers from the University of Portsmouth in the UK. I sat in during one of the training talks and was really quite impressed with how the speakers dealt with entrepreneurial problems. In this case, it was how to transform boring products into things that can actually become saleable and hold their ground in the market. I also walked in and out of the group dynamic and brainstorming sessions of the different schools and was happy to see everyone participating and thinking "out of the box," in Joel’s words. And why wouldn’t they? Their mentors are some of the country’s top entrepreneurs from the AFFI, so they definitely have good leaders. It was also nice to know that some schools planned meetings outside after last Saturday to really fine-tune their products and make them ready for the Tourism Negosyo Expo at the SM Mall of Asia next month.
Being good leaders, I noticed that many of the mentors only facilitated what went on during the brainstorming. All the ideas came from the students, and it was good that the group mentors left all the thinking to them because it really is their project.
I think that this project addresses the problem of poverty in more ways than one. On one hand, it focuses on helping the livelihood projects of our less fortunate brothers and sisters in the GK communities. This will make them more self-sufficient and able to stand on their own feet, so to speak.
However, I also feel that focusing on high school students and making this challenge for them is a key element. These young people will be next in charge of our country. Not only are they being taught to directly address the problem of poverty now, but they are also becoming inspired by the power of entrepreneurship. Later on, when they are older, they will remember the skills taught to them and make good use of them. They can start their own homegrown businesses and contribute to the betterment of the national economy without having to deal with multinationals. Positively thinking, if all of those kids I saw last Saturday decide to make good with their newly discovered entrepreneurial skills, then I foresee our economy getting to the top. Entrepreneurship also opens up more jobs for people, which would the high unemployment rate. There would be a decline in the number of "sampaguita girls" and "rugby boys" roaming the streets, which helps me  and I’m sure a whole lot of other people  sleep better at night.
I said earlier that this was a calculated step in alleviating the problem of poverty in the Philippines and I stand by it. By looking to the youth for fresh and new ideas and influencing them with entrepreneurial dreams, the Teenpreneur Challenge makes the future of our country look a bit brighter.
The participating schools for the Teenpreneur Challenge are Assumption College (San Lorenzo), Elizabeth Seton School, Immaculate Conception Academy, Immaculate Heart of Mary, International Christian Academy, Kostka School, Lourdes School of Quezon City, Makati Hope Christian Academy, Miriam College, O.B. Montessori, Philippine Science High School, Reedley International School, San Beda College, San Benildo Integrated School, St. Bridget School, St. Paul’s College (Pasig), St. Paul’s University (Quezon City), Tabernacle of Faith Christian Academy and Xavier School.
Watch out for the Tourism Negosyo Expo next month, March 2-4, at the SM Mall of Asia. Visit the Teenpreneur-GK Bazaar during this weekend.
E-mail me at enricomiguelsubido@yahoo.com.
In short, poverty sucks for everyone. For those hit hardest by it, each day becomes a challenge and a struggle to see the next. For everyone else, it seems that the challenge is how to best help our impoverished brothers and sisters. Daunting as it may seem, it’s uplifting to know that some people are making calculated moves to help alleviate the problem of poverty in the Philippines.
Last Saturday, the Entrepreneurs School of Asia (ESA), in cooperation with the Philippine Center for Entrepreneurship, Gawad Kalinga (GK) Foundation, the Association of Filipino Franchisers, Inc. (AFFI) and GoNegosyo, launched the "Teenpreneur Challenge," a high school entrepreneurship competition that is also socially oriented. High school students were given assignments on how to conceptualize and improve the business performance of GK community livelihood projects. The schools, led by their respective mentors from the AFFI, split up into teams and were given products made by the GK communities to improve on.
The teams are given one month to come up with improvements on their respective products and as a true market test of their sustainability, will be sold in the Teenpreneur-GK bazaar at the SM Mall of Asia (in conjunction also with the Tourism Negosyo Expo) on the weekend of March 2-4, 2007.
During my visit to the ESA last weekend, I chatted with Joel Santos, co-founder of the school and chairman of the Teenpreneur Challenge. I found out from him that many of the GK communities make the same products  ashtrays, candleholders, doormats, and the like. But how many people really need this stuff? It became quite obvious to me what the problem here was. The communities are making the same merchandise, and in a competitive market, it becomes harder to sell your product if someone else is selling the exact same thing.
Here is where the high school students come in. "They (the high school students) are imaginative thinkers and usually think out of the box; and we want to make use of that. It becomes our job to focus that creativity into something that can be used to improve the livelihood projects of these GK communities," Joel says. Fresh ideas from these high school students can transform these boring products into goods that actually stand a chance in a competitive market.
To further hone their entrepreneurial skills, these high school students underwent training from the ESA itself and listened to speakers from the University of Portsmouth in the UK. I sat in during one of the training talks and was really quite impressed with how the speakers dealt with entrepreneurial problems. In this case, it was how to transform boring products into things that can actually become saleable and hold their ground in the market. I also walked in and out of the group dynamic and brainstorming sessions of the different schools and was happy to see everyone participating and thinking "out of the box," in Joel’s words. And why wouldn’t they? Their mentors are some of the country’s top entrepreneurs from the AFFI, so they definitely have good leaders. It was also nice to know that some schools planned meetings outside after last Saturday to really fine-tune their products and make them ready for the Tourism Negosyo Expo at the SM Mall of Asia next month.
Being good leaders, I noticed that many of the mentors only facilitated what went on during the brainstorming. All the ideas came from the students, and it was good that the group mentors left all the thinking to them because it really is their project.
I think that this project addresses the problem of poverty in more ways than one. On one hand, it focuses on helping the livelihood projects of our less fortunate brothers and sisters in the GK communities. This will make them more self-sufficient and able to stand on their own feet, so to speak.
However, I also feel that focusing on high school students and making this challenge for them is a key element. These young people will be next in charge of our country. Not only are they being taught to directly address the problem of poverty now, but they are also becoming inspired by the power of entrepreneurship. Later on, when they are older, they will remember the skills taught to them and make good use of them. They can start their own homegrown businesses and contribute to the betterment of the national economy without having to deal with multinationals. Positively thinking, if all of those kids I saw last Saturday decide to make good with their newly discovered entrepreneurial skills, then I foresee our economy getting to the top. Entrepreneurship also opens up more jobs for people, which would the high unemployment rate. There would be a decline in the number of "sampaguita girls" and "rugby boys" roaming the streets, which helps me  and I’m sure a whole lot of other people  sleep better at night.
I said earlier that this was a calculated step in alleviating the problem of poverty in the Philippines and I stand by it. By looking to the youth for fresh and new ideas and influencing them with entrepreneurial dreams, the Teenpreneur Challenge makes the future of our country look a bit brighter.
The participating schools for the Teenpreneur Challenge are Assumption College (San Lorenzo), Elizabeth Seton School, Immaculate Conception Academy, Immaculate Heart of Mary, International Christian Academy, Kostka School, Lourdes School of Quezon City, Makati Hope Christian Academy, Miriam College, O.B. Montessori, Philippine Science High School, Reedley International School, San Beda College, San Benildo Integrated School, St. Bridget School, St. Paul’s College (Pasig), St. Paul’s University (Quezon City), Tabernacle of Faith Christian Academy and Xavier School.
Watch out for the Tourism Negosyo Expo next month, March 2-4, at the SM Mall of Asia. Visit the Teenpreneur-GK Bazaar during this weekend.
E-mail me at enricomiguelsubido@yahoo.com.
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