In life, we often need a little guidance and, as young adults, having the opportunity to be mentored by someone with experience can often influence the direction that we take. Indeed, these are how some of the great Australian leaders come to be.
The Young Achievement Australia Business Skills Program is one way in which our Club is providing an avenue to develop the youth of today. Partnering with Canterbury City Council, our Club is now in its third year of supporting the Young Achievement Australia Business Skills Program through sponsorship & room hire. We were delighted to help last year’s group, Fantaisya, achieve a place as a State finalist in the “Best use of IT” award.
Having mentored 190,000 students nationally in the last 30 years, Young Achievement Australia (YAA) is a not for profit organisation, whose programs are run by volunteer experienced business & industry mentors. The Business Skills Program gives young people real–life insight into a business, as they set up & run their own company over a 24 week period.
Through volunteering to do so, students form a group in which they register a company name, sell shares to raise their start–up capital, conduct market research, write a business plan, manufacture & sell their product & finally liquidate the company, complete an annual report & return profit to company shareholders. This year the Club is sponsoring & mentoring a group of Year 11 students, which consists of 26 students from ten local private & public high schools. The group has named their company Dejya–vu & has chosen to produce & sell hanging signs for car windows. Modeled on the “Baby on Board” signs, seen hanging in many cars, the students have come up with a range of signs with funny sayings & cartoons, which they will soon start selling.
Ravi Sharma from Ashfield Boys High School, appointed Dejya–vu’s Marketing Director, notes “It has been a great experience thus far & we get surprised sometimes knowing that it’s only the beginning & we’ve already got so many great memories to savour. We are definitely looking forward to the rest of the program where we can develop our personal skills & create a better understanding of the business world out there”. Our Club contributes financially to the costs of running the program, as well as hosting the weekly student meetings. Our Club & the City of Canterbury Council act in a voluntary capacity as mentors to help guide the students through the program.
“I have witnessed first–hand the transformation of the students from their commencement of the YAA program, as shy unassuming teenagers embarking on an activity of unknown proportions with strangers, into a unified team who all have the same motivating purpose.” David Horder, Assistant CEO of our Club. “The end result is quite astonishing, as students have ridden the wave of confidence throughout the 6 month period to develop into aspiring young adults, having assumed much knowledge & business smarts along the way, as well as valuable entrepreneurial traits necessary to survive in the corporate business world. The advice & guidance shown by the mentors during the program certainly pays dividends & it is a credit to all involved to reflect upon the efforts put in to realize the finished product & the dreams captured along the way.” Neville Rose, Director & Junior Vice President of the RSL & mentor to the YAA group, says that by visiting our RSL Club for the weekly meetings, a new generation of Young Australians also learn the importance of remembrance to those Australians who made the ultimate sacrifice as part of our war efforts & illustrate our honour to them by respecting the Ode each visit.
Our Club is extremely proud to support the YAA program & looks forward to continue to contribute towards developing the youth of today to become society’s leaders of tomorrow. For information & to purchase a car sign produced by this year’s YAA group visit www.dejyavu.co.nr
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