MONROVIA – For the first time, aspiring entrepreneurs aged six to sixteen will have the chance to sell their products and services at an event tailor made for them: Heritage International Leadership Academy (HILA) Young Entrepreneurs Fair on November 28, 2020 at the HILA Campus Congo Town, Sophie Community. This day-long event enables young people aged 6-16 to learn and experience what it means to be in business and how to market products, budgets, and manage money.
“In addition,” said HILA Founder and CEO, Michelle Wento, “Educating young people about entrepreneurship, prepares them for the future job market, teaches them important life skills, like self-confidence, creativity, resilience, goal setting, and empathy. “Practicalising entrepreneurship,” she added, “gives students a better understanding of money and how to make it.” Mrs. Wento encourages parents to take a “hands-off” approach so the young business impresarios may fully experience what it means to be in business.
HILA 9th Grader Claire Simpson stated “What inspired me to join the entrepreneur’s fair was my love for trying new experiences, and learning new things that may benefit me. The business fair is an absolutely amazing way to teach students how to properly manage a business and to understand the ways of the modern world. Allowing us to develop ideas on a product we will present to the public is a great idea and I’m so glad that I chose to be a part of this.”
Claire will be debuting her new product “Claire’s Life Savers.” These are emergency kits for females from the ages of 10 up that contains little but important items that all girls and women will need at some point in time. “What a I would like to achieve on the 28th is to allow my product to be one that thrives and that is useful to many people. I would like to make Claire’s Life Savers to truly become the talk of the own and to spread awareness about women and girl’s hygiene and safety.”
The HILA Young Entrepreneurs Fair will be held in collaboration with the monthly Made in Liberia Fair all in one venue. In addition to the trade show there will be live entertainment, food, games, prizes and much more. HILA is located at B676 Old Sophie Road in Congo Town. The gates will open at 11:00am and the admission fee is $5.00USD.
Young entrepreneurs who showcase the best product or service, the best presentation, the best business ideas, and the most innovative product will be awarded prizes. The fair was made possible through the generous sponsorships of Cemenco, TipMe Liberia, Monrovia Breweries, and NASSCORP among others.
While HILA’s Entrepreneur Fair showcases young people’s innovations, the event is also a school fundraiser. HILA is working to raise over $25,000 for its Science Lab. The Head of the Fundraising Committee Mrs. Lovetta Bailey Sendolo said “Our fundraising goal for this event is to raise at least $25,000, which will provide us with the adequate funding to afford the necessary equipment and apparatus required to build a state of the art science laboratory.
The new laboratory will increase STEAM awareness and make a significant difference to our educational goal, providing our students with the facilities that promote inquiry-based learning. Furthermore, the new laboratory will also be available to other schools within the Sophie Community.
At HILA, we believe and advocate a spirit of service; hence, our fundraisers are designed to provide support to the school and empower the community within which the school resides.