Inspiration for teenagers

By ADAM GIFFORD

A business skills programme which has been running in selected secondary schools under the auspices of the Lion Nathan Education Partnership is being opened to a wider audience next month.

The three-day World Teen Bizness Challenge will be held at Unitec's centre for innovation and entrepreneurship from April 12 to 14.

It is open to young people aged between 16 and 19.

World Teen Bizness managing director Gail Reichert says the programme aims to inspire and enthuse young people about business.

"Wherever they go today they come into a business environment, but the education system is charged with delivering curriculum rather than facts-of-life applications," Ms Reichert says.

The programme started about 10 years ago, when educationists challenged the then Lion head Doug Myers to put his money where his mouth was after he claimed the education system failed to turn out people fit for business.

Ms Reichert says the programme has gone through several major redesigns.

World Teen Bizness works with groups of up to 80 students at a time. They are put into teams which must come up with an innovative business idea.

On the final day the teams create an expo site to display their business plan.

"The teams have to present to judges, so they have to transform themselves from school kids to business people in three days," Ms Reichert says.

World Teen Bizness has worked with more than 7000 teens from throughout the country during the past five years.

"We know our programmes change the lives of teenagers for the better," she says.

"We have a young woman from Whangarei who did the programme about three years ago. She started painting fabric, then transitioned into making garments and selling those.

"She signed a contract with [surf wear specialist] Billabong designing and making surfboard covers that have a bivouac attached to them, and she's running the business from home in Whangarei, as well as she's just entered police training school."

Ms Reichert says the $795 fee for the challenge is below the usual adult business seminar fee.

Whether it is seen as expensive "depends on the value you place on changing the mind-set of a young person.

"As the mother of an adolescent, I place immense value on giving teenagers real-life skills which give them increased motivation, confidence and employability - they understand what it feels like to be in business."

Each day will end with an evening "networking" barbecue and guest speakers "who have a passion for communication with teenagers and stories to tell which say 'You can do it'."

Centre for innovation head Yola Macken says the challenge fits in well with the centre's aims.

"This centre is at forefront of developing a cultural shift, so we are developing wealth generators who are not risk averse. But it's a calculated risk," Ms Macken says.

World Teen Bizness can be contacted at 0800 GO TEEN.