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Brad Dyck, Jaelynn Owen, Michelle Sparks, Austin Higgs and Jaedyn Nahirney. The dogs, Ursula and Arya, are available for adoption through the Humane Society. (supplied photo/Lynne Thompson)
Young Entrepreneurs

Giving back through business education

Jun 17, 2019 | 8:34 PM

Starting a business and giving back to the community is often the work of philanthropists or long-time business owners.

But it was more recently the result of work from students in the Entrepreneurship 30 class at North Battleford Comprehensive High School.

After milling about for sales options and browsing for an opening in the market, the team of four settled on homemade dog biscuits.

They undertook research to find recipes, cooked up six different flavours and had them cleared by a veterinarian to ensure nothing would harm dogs. They selected a few kinds and conducted product sampling, handing out testers to teachers and their own dogs to see if the biscuit pleased a canine’s palette.

The team selected Sweet Potato Delight and Cheesy Goodness as their flavours of choice and hit the ground running. All the product was handmade and they searched out potential markets to peddle the treats, including attempts to sell them themselves.

Before entering into the endeavour, they decided to set a flat rate from each sale to donate to the Battlefords’ Humane Society. By the end, $300 was directed towards the agency.

Jaelynn Owen was the CEO of the project and said she learned many practical skills in the course. She enrolled as she wanted to learn more about business enterprising.

“It was nice because it was like a little family,” Own said. “In other classes, you go and you leave and you don’t talk to anyone. Here, every day you talk to each other.”

The teamwork and hands-on learning experience through the class were welcomed by Grade 11 student Brad Dyck.

“We only did book work for a month or two and then we were into the entire gist of things,” he said.

Dyck was in charge of financing and believes the skills gained will come in handy later in life, such as using an Excel spreadsheet to manage data. Further, he learned how to handle the moving pieces of an enterprise.

The practical nature of the course drew Austin Higgs, despite not knowing what the course was about before coming in. He was forced to be outgoing, interact with an array of individuals and coordinate efforts through his role in production.

For educator Lynne Thompson the course offers functional life skills they may not use right after graduation, but perhaps later in life.

“You never know when opportunities are going to be presented to you,” she said.

Fostering a sense and the importance of business and commerce is key, she said, as it teaches students about opportunities in their own backyard. This is aided by local entrepreneurs speaking to the students throughout the year.

“A lot of the students have come back and you can support their business or where they are working,” she said. “I think [the Battlefords] is a great place to live and a great place to do business.”

tyler.marr@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @JournoMarr

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