EP Yorke Students Featured in Business Expo
Budding entrepreneurs displayed their business innovations at a student expo today in Belize City. The students from the Edward P. Yorke High School tested their business acumen in not only producing goods and services, but taking the added step of selling their products. There was a wide range of products from sweets, to food and bamboo products to replace plastics. Here is News Five’s Duane Moody with report.
Duane Moody, Reporting
Third and fourth form business students at the Edward P. Yorke High School in Belize City were put to the test today by the business department of the institution. The students were placed in groups and tasked with coming up with a good or service, make a business plan, market that product and sell it. While it challenges them to apply the business principles learnt, it also brings out their innovative ideas.
Tanisha Bowen
Tanisha Bowen, Business Teacher, E.P. Yorke High School
“We have twelve business booths and then we have twenty student booths ranging from products and services as well as business booths. So we wanted to bring everybody together in regards of showing their products and services to the public. It is basically content and then applying what you’ve learnt in class. So it is not just having your products on display and leaving it there. We have to look at the previous stages of advertising, the marketing tools that they have used so far and also how they are able to sell the products when customers come.”
There were booths ranging from foods and sugary sweets as well as beading works on display. There were several that showed innovation and meeting the demands of the Belizean market. A recent ban on the use of single-use plastics motivated a bamboo product by Nature’s Carvings and Cravings.
Jaden Barrera
Jaden Barrera, Nature’s Carvings & Cravings
“We realized that Belize is moving into a phase of biodegradables and we want to end the use of plastics so we come up with this idea of bamboo cups because bamboo is a common wood around our areas. So we decided to establish these cups. They are multipurpose cups; you can use them for drinking, for storing utensils, etc. We have various; we have custom made or pre-orders.”
Meanwhile, Clean Latrine created from scratch toilet balms that are effective and practical in use.
Kristy Laing, Representative, Clean Latrine
“Clean latrine’s toilet balms it is to help clean your toilet and make your bathroom smell really nice.”
Calesha Hall, Representative, Clean Latrine
“We have different scents as lavender, eucalyptus oil, strawberry melon, peppermint and China Town.”
Kristy Laing & Calesha Hall
Duane Moody
“Now interestingly, I understand you guys came up with the concept, made the product yourself and all of that. Talk to us about that part.”
Kristy Laing
“Well it was very easy because we wanted to do something out of the box, something that nobody does that is effective in the home as well.”
Each project will receive a grade and the top scorers will be rewarded with prizes. Duane Moody for News Five.
