Enterprising Primary And Secondary Pupils In Entrepreneurial Initiative

Primary and secondary pupils and businesses will be coming together for a celebration event to mark the end of the 14th ‘Make £5 Blossom’ project, whereby children were given a nominal amount of money to develop innovative ideas to make a profit.

Over 300 young people took part in the project, sponsored by the John Cracknell Enterprise Bank. The celebration event is being held at the Guildhall on 26 April, and will see those involved sharing their enterprising journeys.

The young people were given a loan of £150 per school group from a business partner in November 2015 as part of Global Entrepreneurship Week, to use to make a profit with their enterprising ideas. The only requirement set was that the ideas needed to have an element of promoting Hull as the UK City of Culture.

As part of the project pupils learn about the Big 13 Enterprise Skills; negotiating and influencing, risk management, effective communication, positive attitude, leadership, product service and design, organising and planning, problem solving, making ethical decisions, financial literacy, team work, creativity and innovation and using your initiative.

Pupils at Craven Primary Academy produced Hull themed badges working with KCOM’s Community Manager Brendon Smurthwaite, Wansbeck Primary held a musical evening, a number of the enterprising pupils held Christmas and Easter Fairs whilst Gillshill Primary designed and created Hull themed shopping bags.

Profits made by the young people will be shared between the enterprising young people, the charity of the year Action Duchenneand and the Be Enterprising group of practitioners.

Mike Notarantonio, Youth Enterprise Officer, Hull City Council said;

“I am really looking forward to seeing what ideas the young people have come up with for the Make £5 Blossom celebration event here at the Guildhall.”

“It is always an inspirational event and I am sure every one of the schools involved will have put their enterprising skills to the test. It should be a great event with all the schools and their business partners attending to show their support for each other.”

Schools and business partners involved in this year are:

Mersey Primary and Escourt Primary with AB Rooms,
Woodlands Primary with AA Global,
Tweendykes with Netopian,
Griffin Primary with Inspireignite,
Wansbeck with Daniel Barker Music,
St Marys College with Swift Group,
Biggin Hill Primary with St Stephen’s Shopping Centre,
Buckingham Primary with Pepperell’s Solicitors,
Gillshill Primary with Active Humber,
Francis Askew Primary and Courage Queen,
Priory Primary and 360 Accountants and
Craven Primary Academy with KCOM.

Daniel Barker DM Music said:

“As a teacher and musician it has been fantastic working with such a great team of young people from Wansbeck, they have all shown great enthusiasm in getting the project going, taking a good idea and turning it into a great business opportunity.”

“I think with a little more time they will continue to flourish and who knows where the enterprising pupils I have worked with could end up.”