Programme Overview
Business for Kids is a one-week programme for Year 5-8 students run independently by schools and community groups and delivered by a registered teacher. Students are challenged to run their own economy by creating jobs, earning income, running business ventures and buying and selling on market day. Throughout the week students review their personal skills and attributes, complete a curriculum vitae, and apply for jobs. Within their ventures they appoint managers who have responsibility for business planning, design, production, finance and marketing. Students design their currency for use in the programme. They purchase the resources they require to produce their goods and services using a venture start-up grant from the community’s warehouse. Market day is the culmination of the week’s programme where parents exchange New Zealand dollars into the community’s currency in order to purchase these goods and services.
Two options are available:
- Schools and community groups run the programme during the school holidays. This option provides an opportunity for participating organisations to generate income.
- As a one week in-school programme. This option works well as an end of term enterprise activity.
Student Learning
The programme endeavours to develop the following understandings (Mind Sets) for students:
- Businesses create work, income and wealth for our community
- Business success is enhanced through business planning
- People and business take risks to succeed in life
- Our innovation and enterprise is important to business success
- Our personal goals affect our career choices and lifestyle
- It is our responsibility in the first instance to seek work and earn income
- The choices we make now have consequences in the future
Programme Benefits
For Students:
- A fun week with a sense of accomplishment at the end
- Knowledge about and growth in their own skills and attributes
- Knowledge about business
- Experience as producers and consumers
- An opportunity to meet and work with other young people in their community
For school or community group running Business for Kids as a holiday programme:Teacher professional development Experience in facilitating Education for Enterprise programmes Opportunity to teach students across age levels and from their local community Work in partnership with Young Enterprise Trust
A fun holiday programme for students in their community Opportunities for teachers to gain expertise in business education and this approach to learning Work in partnership with Young Enterprise Trust An opportunity for participating organisations to generate income
