Each year in the Lower Sixth, girls are given the opportunity to participate in Young Enterprise, a business experience programme to add to their wider skills in advance of UCAS applications. This year we had two teams participate, allowing girls to establish their own business from scratch, raise funds, research product options, and finally take advantage of selling opportunities to (hopefully!) make a profit.
Our two teams this year, Stitched and Emerge, had very different journeys, but showed excellent determination and ingenuity to become Runners Up and Victors respectively in the West Berkshire Area Final. Emerge went on to the Regional Final where they were awarded the Judges’ Prize for Teamwork in recognition of the way in which they pulled together in the face of supplier difficulties. While sales and award ceremonies have been delayed this term due to Covid-19, both teams will be invited to celebrate their successes in the next academic year.
Both teams have made a modest profit so far this year, but do still have products available, so do get in touch with the teams via their Instagram pages if you would like to support them!
Miss Plummer, Teacher of Business Studies
Here is your chance to learn more about our two companies.
Stitched
We are Stitched YE, a student-run company consisting of 10 Lower Sixth girls. We started our Young Enterprise journey in September when our first task was to raise some initial funds. The whole team set about hand making scrunchies from Kenyan fabrics and recycled materials as well as earrings to be sold at House Drama in October. From this we made enough money, along with some investment, to buy our final product of beanies. Having bought our beanies, we were able to sell them at a trade fair in the Kennet Centre in Newbury and we have also successfully sold many beanies at lunch times sales at School. Despite the current situation and not being at School at the moment, we are still able to take online orders so please feel free to follow our Instagram page @stitched_ye and check out our beanies!
Having to design and produce a product to sell was something completely new to all of us which shows just how unique this experience has been. As a team, we have all benefited hugely from this experience and the profit will be an added bonus!
Emerge
Producing an eco-friendly product that can contribute to our care for the environment has been at the heart of our product development as a Young Enterprise business. Originally we wished to pursue a product idea of collapsible, reusable plastic lunchboxes. This idea ran aground upon discovering that the lunchboxes were actually made in China and imported into the UK, highlighting how tricky it can be to find a UK-based manufacturer in the current economic climate.
Our team’s main objective was to create a sustainable product with a low carbon footprint.
Flossie, Sustainability Director
(LVI York)
We refused to compromise on our eco-friendly aims, and quickly switched products to source eco-friendly straws from a UK supplier. While this meant that unfortunately the products did not arrive until after the Covid-19 lockdown, we are pleased that we have stuck to our key sustainability aims and that we worked together as a team to overcome this setback.
You can contact Emerge via our Instagram – @emerge.ye – if you would like to buy one of our eco-friendly straw sets, priced at £7.99 for 2 metal straws, a cleaner and a storage pouch to keep them clean during storage and transportation.
