These Kids Mean Business
A new workshop for kids on entrepreneurship and financial literacy.
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, May 20, 2009 --(PR.com)-- Noor Azhani was President of a failing Anime club. The previous club President had spent all of the club’s money on manga and anime videos leaving, the club with barely any funds.
“Actually, it was more like zero,” Azhani recalls, laughing. “And we had no money to do any of our planned activities during the school year!”
So the club members put their heads together and came up with a plan to reverse their failing fortunes. They realized that school lunches were unpopular, and so decided to buy instant noodles and sell them at a premium during lunch time for several weeks.
“We made so much money that we were able to buy more mangas and DVDs for the club and throw a party for ourselves!" Azhani remembers. "But we had learned our lesson, so we made sure we monitored our expenses to make sure we didn't run out of money again."
Datin Sharifah Shehah, CEO of Georgia Gateway, a company which works closely with entrepreneurs and start-ups, suggests that Azhani’s experience is nothing new. “Children are instinctively entrepreneurial, and fortunately, our schools encourage the entrepreneurial spirit: from Hari Kantin to Valentine’s Day where children sell roses to their classmates”
Creativity, the discipline and passion are all typical of the characteristics of the entrepreneur, a zest for life that is rarely seen in employed workers “But it’s a shame because somewhere along the way, the same students miss out on the idea of being an entrepreneur as a viable career option. Students think doctor, engineer, but not entrepreneur” says Datin Sharifah.
While mentoring entrepreneurs, inspiration struck. “We felt it was important to impart these same entrepreneurial values to kids. These values can be fostered and encouraged,” says Datin Sharifah.
The result was BizKidz, an entrepreneurial workshop for kids.
“We based it on the UK Enterprise Education. For kids, the course has to be fun and hands on. But we didn’t want it to make it too easy, we wanted it to be challenging," says Adlina Amiruddin, one of the co-founders. “We’ve created games that will teach kids everything from business planning to dealing with credit cards and investments. We want them to understand that it's not just about pocket money, and we want to create an understanding of the entire process, from financing through to creating a business."
Some might argue that children are too young to grasp the realities of balancing a cheque book or building a business. Adlina disagrees. “If kids are creative enough to persuade their amorous classmates to buy roses in school, they are smart enough to learn how to do things the right way. We don’t learn about financial literacy or entrepreneurship through osmosis. It must be nurtured. And that’s what Bizkidz aims to do: give every kid that chance to decide if he’s going to be a job-taker or a job-maker.”
BizKidz Money will be running from June 1st to 4th whilst Bizkidz Entrepreneur will be running from June 8th to June 11th at Kelab Golf Negara Subang. For more information visit http://www.mybizkidz.com or contact Hani at +603-78463841. Email: query@mybizkidz.com
Bizkidz (http://www.mybizkidz.com ) is a division of Georgia Gateway Sdn Bhd (734853-X) specializing in business education for children. Georgia Gateway (http://www.georgia-gw.com ) was founded in 2002 specializing in Human Resource and Management Development. They offer full-fledged services in Entrepreneurial Development, Business Consulting, Corporate Training and Workshops and Professional Writing Services. For more details please contact Amiruddin (amiruddin@georgia-gw.com)
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“Actually, it was more like zero,” Azhani recalls, laughing. “And we had no money to do any of our planned activities during the school year!”
So the club members put their heads together and came up with a plan to reverse their failing fortunes. They realized that school lunches were unpopular, and so decided to buy instant noodles and sell them at a premium during lunch time for several weeks.
“We made so much money that we were able to buy more mangas and DVDs for the club and throw a party for ourselves!" Azhani remembers. "But we had learned our lesson, so we made sure we monitored our expenses to make sure we didn't run out of money again."
Datin Sharifah Shehah, CEO of Georgia Gateway, a company which works closely with entrepreneurs and start-ups, suggests that Azhani’s experience is nothing new. “Children are instinctively entrepreneurial, and fortunately, our schools encourage the entrepreneurial spirit: from Hari Kantin to Valentine’s Day where children sell roses to their classmates”
Creativity, the discipline and passion are all typical of the characteristics of the entrepreneur, a zest for life that is rarely seen in employed workers “But it’s a shame because somewhere along the way, the same students miss out on the idea of being an entrepreneur as a viable career option. Students think doctor, engineer, but not entrepreneur” says Datin Sharifah.
While mentoring entrepreneurs, inspiration struck. “We felt it was important to impart these same entrepreneurial values to kids. These values can be fostered and encouraged,” says Datin Sharifah.
The result was BizKidz, an entrepreneurial workshop for kids.
“We based it on the UK Enterprise Education. For kids, the course has to be fun and hands on. But we didn’t want it to make it too easy, we wanted it to be challenging," says Adlina Amiruddin, one of the co-founders. “We’ve created games that will teach kids everything from business planning to dealing with credit cards and investments. We want them to understand that it's not just about pocket money, and we want to create an understanding of the entire process, from financing through to creating a business."
Some might argue that children are too young to grasp the realities of balancing a cheque book or building a business. Adlina disagrees. “If kids are creative enough to persuade their amorous classmates to buy roses in school, they are smart enough to learn how to do things the right way. We don’t learn about financial literacy or entrepreneurship through osmosis. It must be nurtured. And that’s what Bizkidz aims to do: give every kid that chance to decide if he’s going to be a job-taker or a job-maker.”
BizKidz Money will be running from June 1st to 4th whilst Bizkidz Entrepreneur will be running from June 8th to June 11th at Kelab Golf Negara Subang. For more information visit http://www.mybizkidz.com or contact Hani at +603-78463841. Email: query@mybizkidz.com
Bizkidz (http://www.mybizkidz.com ) is a division of Georgia Gateway Sdn Bhd (734853-X) specializing in business education for children. Georgia Gateway (http://www.georgia-gw.com ) was founded in 2002 specializing in Human Resource and Management Development. They offer full-fledged services in Entrepreneurial Development, Business Consulting, Corporate Training and Workshops and Professional Writing Services. For more details please contact Amiruddin (amiruddin@georgia-gw.com)
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Contact
BizKidz
Adlina Amiruddin
+603-78463841
http://www.mybizkidz.com
Adlina Amiruddin
+603-78463841
http://www.mybizkidz.com
Contact
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