Did you engage in entrepreneurial ventures like selling pencils, erasers, papers and candies to your classmates when you were in elementary?
If you exhibited these moments of kid entrepreneurship, you deserve a pat on the back because your entrepreneurial drive pushes you to recognize problems, dissect viable solutions, and build opportunities.
Encouraging entrepreneurship in kids will help them to become entrepreneurs or employers in the future and this is among the highlights of the first ever Global Young entrepreneurs Summit via Zoom of Stockbridge American International School (SAIS)- Davao campus.
Carrying the theme “Shaping the Entrepreneurs of Tomorrow”, the activity tapped Davao City’s renowned entrepreneurs namely John Naranjo, CEO and founder of Ingenuity; Maizy Colleen Alvarez Tan, fashion designer and owner of Maizy Colleen Designs; and Kelvin Gaisano, president of Gaisano Malls and co-founder of Happy Lemon Philippines and Red Mango Philippines Incorporated imparted with the Grade 4 to 7 students of Stockbridge from General Santos City and Davao City campuses with the essentials of entrepreneurship.
Most of the kids are now into games and apps on tablets or smartphones, Naranjo talked to them about the significance of technology in this modern time and its relevance to entrepreneurship. He shared his three personal lessons that guided him in becoming successful entrepreneur – know your purpose in life, try to learn things and make things happen.
Tan inspired the young learners by sharing about how she ventured in the world of fashion industry and how she realized her passion amidst its difference to her real profession. She ended her talk by leaving this quote “Be bold in the pursuit of what sets your soul on fire”.
The Gaisanos are popular in Davao City, Cebu and various parts of the Visayas and Mindanao, as the family own hotels and malls, so Gaisano shared to the students how his family impacted his love for business at an early age and how important choosing circle of friends is in building a business. He added that it is important for an entrepreneur to think for a long term and with that, it is important to learn business as a whole and not just look at it from the top view and rely on someone else to do it for you. He left five points for the students to remember: explore, keep learning, do not be afraid to fail, be humble, and be kind.
Nicole Nina Hao Bian-Ledesma, chief operating officer of SAIS, said the Young Entrepreneur Summit is in line with the school’s core mission of developing young students to become business leaders and entrepreneurs.
“That is why as early as Grade 4, students have a class on innovations and entrepreneurship where they learn to develop their business acumen at a young age. The young entrepreneur summit provided an avenue for students to have the chance to learn, interact and engage with Davao’s young entrepreneurs. That is truly what sets SAIS apart, we educate global business leaders,” Ledesma said.
SAIS is the first and only international school in Davao City and in Mindanao offering international education through its international partners, the Fieldwork Education (UK) and the Nacel International School Systems (USA). The Stockbridge curriculum is a seamless integration of Philippine and international standards guided by the school’s institutional philosophy and goals. Because of this, the Stockbridge program is unlike any other school – upon graduation, students receive International Certificates granted by International Education Partners. Stockbridge offers the following programs: Early Childhood Programs from 6 months to 5 years old and K12 programs from Kinder to Grade 8 (For SY 2021-2022).
