Ms. Concannon's 4th class girls have been working very hard on their JEP project 'Gairdín' over the past few months.
Junior Entrepreneur Programme (JEP) has given the girls they opportunity to experience practical, real-life business learning as part of their formative education. It nurtures creativity, independence and problem-solving among pupils of all abilities. It is a wonderful educational initiative which brings out the best in each child while also teaching them life long skills. The girls thoroughly enjoyed their experience as young entrepreneurs and after engaging in the programme many inspire to become entrepreneurs when they grow up. The girls learned all about profit and loss and how entrepreneurs have to be risk takers and good communicators. The learning involved is endless.
How JEP works?
The children use their creativity to come up with individual business ideas, they come together as a class to choose one idea and then work to turn this idea into reality over a 12-16 week period. They’ve got to do the hard work – researching what customers really want, working out their costs and how much to charge for it. They figure out what they’re good at and try to use those skills to play their part in a team. All along the way, they’ve got the support of their classmates, teachers and local entrepreneurs. The programme culminates in showcase day, when the learning, hard work and team spirit come together. That’s when family, the rest of the school and community get a chance to see the results of all the hard work done during the programme.
What the girls did:
The children brainstormed their ideas and decided to go with the idea of making garden ornaments out of recyclable materials. The girls were inspired by our school garden and Noels work. They wanted to pick something that was environmentally friendly and original. They had been learning all about the importance of conservation, recycling and caring for our environment so it all tied in nicely. The girls wanted to emphasis the importance of the 3Rs 'reduce, reuse and recycle'. Flowerpots, wishing wells, frogs, butterflies and ladybirds were all made in the classroom. There was a little production line in progress and everyone worked together to get the job done. When we had all our products made we got ready for our showcase day which was on the 21st of March in the school hall. The children got the chance to talk about their business and what it entailed. They also got to show off their fabulous work to the wider community. It was a huge success and the girls made a nice profit for themselves. They are looking forward to presenting their work at the RDS on the 20th of May.
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