Young Entrepreneurship Programme and Market Day, 2024-2025
The Young Entrepreneurship Programme is a marquee event for the Middle Years at NPSI. Showcasing the extraordinary talents and innovative spirit of our eighth-grade students, this annual event provides students with a platform to exhibit their unique entrepreneurship ideas into physical products.
The Journey to Market Day
The months leading up to market day are crucial as students spend time deciding vital details from the name of their company to how many products they will sell. They formed groups of four to six members and took onus of delegating tasks equally among themselves. Students were encouraged to collaborate with peers and come to a middle ground regarding their unique set of ideas.
Throughout this period of two months, students engaged in participating in pitch meetings, deciding how much investment was necessary, hands-on trial of products, revising and revisiting prices of items, and so on and so forth. This experience helped them realize their potential in the marketing world, learn more about their peers’ interests and talents, develop their public speaking skills along with their overall confidence. They also learned how to attract customers and investors and communicate the value of their products effectively.
The production phase was filled with tons of creativity and craftsmanship. Students got down to business as they mixed ingredients, carved shapes, and infused their products with the right amount of inventiveness. They understood the importance of quality over quantity and presentation of products.
Financial Literacy
Financial literacy was one of the core components of YEP as students were educated on concepts like cost price, selling price, profit and loss. They learned the art of setting the right price in accordance to the value of a product, calculating how much amount goes into making the product and convincing customers and investors why their products are worth the amount. They gained perspective on how to run a business; creating a company from scratch and collaborating with like-minded peers to create handmade products.
Market Day Experience
The sun played hide and seek as we geared up for a lively market day. The range of products was awe-inspiring given the fact that they were handmade. From crochet bags to lip balms, coasters to earrings; personalized keychains to tote bags, and fridge magnets; every item was crafted with love. These items were not just products but a representation of the hard work and dedication our students had poured into their entrepreneurial ventures.
The atmosphere on Market Day was energetic. Students set up their stalls, arranging their products with pride and getting their billing counter ready to thrive. They enthusiastically sang jingles to parents, explained in detail about the process of making their items, and conversed confidently about their company’s purpose. Students packaged their products in paper bags neatly, kept a check of bills and change; they truly turned into business people.
There was an overwhelming response from the parent community as they supported students’ companies, bought their products and invested time and money worthy of the students’ efforts. Peers, students from other grades and teachers also pitched in to make sure our students felt encouraged and appreciated.
Overall, the Young Entrepreneurship Programme proved to be a platform for collaboration and creation. The cherry on the cake came in the form of a whopping Rs 70,000 in profit donated to the charitable organization F.A.C.E.S.
