.
Pupils from 3rd-6th Class, Fybough National School, Castlemaine, who won the Community Champions award for their classroom business, Photo Buddies as part of the Junior Entrepreneur Programme 2024. Photo: Jerry Kennelly
THIRD to sixth class in Fybough National School, Castlemaine, received the Community Champions Award for their JEP business, Photo Buddies, in the All-Island Junior Entrepreneur Programme Awards announced today.
Glenderry NS, Kilgarvan NS and Gaelscoil Mhic Easmainn also made the Top 30 in the programme this year.
Fybough N teacher, Eileen Lovett, who has been running JEP in her classroom for several years said the pupils were incredibly proud of their project. They set out to capture their sense of place through their own lens and developed invaluable skills along the way.
Continued below…
.
To get the project started, the budding entrepreneurs wrote to the Board of Management requesting a loan of 150 euros to get the business up and running, committing to repaying it in full at the end of the year.
To develop their skills, the class then connected with Tara Donoghue. Tara not only has a successful photography business, but she and her team also run photography courses and mentorship programmes. Tara delivered workshops on photography, instructing the children on creative composition and shooting with purpose.
The end result is a series of stunning local landscape photographs taken by the pupils themselves. They also developed their skills in portrait photography and produced a series of engaging photos of the junior pupils with their favourite teddies.
The children held a showcase day in the school to exhibit their work and sell the photographs. Describing their local shop as the hub of the local community, they also approached Eileen and Aidan at Benson’s Quik Pick in Keel, who readily agreed to stock the mounted photographs.
The business has had total sales of €1,023 and a profit of €663 so far, and the pupils are continuing to fulfil orders. Their success is a reflection of the pupils’ hard work and aility to leverage the support of the local community.
Marie Lynch, the co-founder and Managing Director of the Junior Entrepreneur Programme, said that over 12,000 Irish primary school children have launched classroom businesses this year as part of their participation in the Junior Entrepreneur Programme.
“JEP has become a rite of passage for children in primary schools before they move on to secondary school. The class develops a lasting bond by working together to experience real-world success. For many, it is the highlight of their primary school years”, she said.
Three other Kerry schools were named in the Top 30 – an incredible achievement considering JEP received over 200 project submissions.
Fifth class, Gaelscoil Mhic Easmainn, Tralee’s project ‘Pebblo Picasso’; 5th & 6th Class, Kilgarvan Central School, Railway Road, Kilgarvan, Project: Kilgarvan Keychains and 6th Class, Scoil Naomh Erc, Glenderry, Ballyheigue, for ‘Crafty Kingdom’.
The Junior Entrepreneur Programme is a real-life, immersive entrepreneurship skills programme for 5th and 6th-class primary schoolchildren; it nurtures confidence, resilience, creativity, problem-solving and teamwork and engages pupils of all abilities. It is offered free of charge to schools on the island of Ireland.
.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
