Make Your Mark Challenge 2008November 2008 |
As part of the UK wide ‘Enterprise Week 2008’ 6 students from Carrickfergus College travelled to the Northern Regional College who were hosting the East Antrim section of the ‘Make Your Mark Channelge 2008’
The students were given just over 3 hours to work together and put together a presentation for a panel of judges comprising local entrepreneurs as well as Jo Clipsham from the Apprentice. The idea was to Create an entrepreneurial idea inspired by the Olympic & Paralympic Values
The Olympic & Paralympic Values:
Respect What or who do you respect, and why?
Excellence What inspires you to excellence?
Friendship What does friendship look and feel like?
Courage What makes someone courageous?
Determination What requires determination? What brings it out of you?
Equality Do you know equality? Have you experienced inequality?
Inspiration What inspires you? Can you think how to inspire others?
Our students were to complete four documents comprising an ideas sheet, a budget including a cash flow forecast, a discussion on competitors and a presentation to present to the judges. They also produced a ‘mock up’ of a company website and a 18 second promotional video in the short time allocated. It was a hard days work!
The Carrick College big idea was a ‘Social Entrepreneurship’ project aiming to make the Olympic Values a reality to some disadvantaged young people in society. The Carrick College group decided they were going to form a ‘not for profit’ company who would work in the local community to make these values a reality.
In summary we wanted to:
- Raise money from various events around the Borough of Carrickfergus to get started such as the selling of wrist bands in shops etc
- Approach UnLTD – a social enterprise charity in the business of making large capital grants to young people with social enterprising ideas
- Have young people who benefited from the project help raise money to ensure the project was sustainable from now until the 2012 olympics in London.
- Work with PAKT (Parents and Kids Together) in local housing developments in Carrickfergus to bring more young people off the streets and into sporting activities
- Link with the National Autistic Society to develop sporting programmes to raise the self esteem of young people with Autism in the Carrickfergus Borough who perhaps do not have great social interaction skills
- Work alongside local special schools of Roddensvale and Rostulla to assist with integration of those kids into society by having joint sporting events.
The company planned to rent a small office in a Carrickfergus Enterprise Park for £300 per month and budgeted for a full time worker to develop the programmes. They also thought about approaching the 4 post primary schools in Carrickfergus who as Specialist Schools were wanting to link more with the community. It was hoped that between the 4 schools in Carrickfergus sporting facilities could be made available free of charge from now until the 2012 olympics. The group also decided to approach the local counsellors (some of whom were there on the day) to ask if the council would give sporting facilities free of charge.
Unfortunately we did not win the competition but our pupils put together a professional presentation. Ballyclare High School were the event winners and the judges commented this was because they had an actual product that would make a profit! Our enterprise was a non profit organisation and this resulted in us losing valuable points at the judging! We will know next year and plan to go in fighting!
| Click images to view larger... |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
