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The holidays are here and Volkswagen South Africa Group (VWSA) and the Young Entrepreneurs (YE) Foundation are catching the school children young, training them to be future entrepreneurs. A very good initiative, no doubt. On Monday, July 31, 2017, the Young Entrepreneurs (YE) Foundation launched its first programme at the Uitenhage Primary School for children in the Uitenhage area with funds donated to them by the Volkswagen for Good Initiative run by the Volkswagen Community Trust.
The programme is out to teach the children vital entrepreneurial and financial literacy skills over a 30-week period, with no fewer than 112 Uitenhage Primary SchoChildren taking part in the programme.
To date, the Volkswagen for Good Initiative has handed over funds to the value of R2.8 million to deserving local charities and non-profit organisations, allowing these organisations to continue the good work they do in the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro.
The Young Entrepreneurs Foundation (YE) programme teaches children, aged between 7-15, vital entrepreneurial and financial literacy skills to help the children start and grow their own micro-enterprises in a fun and experiential way. The programmes runs over 30 weeks and schools are utilised as study centres. The classes are offered by YE accredited Facilitators. One of their goals is to inspire youth and change their lives.
The children are divided into two sections, namely Minipreneurs (Grade 2 and 3) and Kidpreneurs (Grade 4-6). The programme runs from Monday , July 31 to Friday, November 24.
In the Minipreneurs section, there are five classes each, consisting of 12 learners per group. The Kidpreneurs classes consist of four classes with 13 learners per group. The teaching staff at Uitenhage Primary School assisted in selecting the children for the programme as the classes are also run by the teachers at the school who have been trained in all the facilitation and technical skills required.
Speaking at the launch on Monday, Ansulene Prinsloo, the Implementation Agent for the YE Foundation in the Eastern Cape, said: “Given all the realities, there has never been a more important time to empower and capacitate our children to become the authors of their own destiny. It is through sponsorships like these that we can change the lives of children and provide them with the necessary skills to become valuable contributors to the economy and society at large. Together, we inspire dreams and thanks to VWSA for that.”
Each child also received a backpack, books and various products/ materials that they will require for the 30-week programme.
“Seeing the money donated by the Volkswagen for Good Initiative being used in a real and tangible way to enrich the lives of young children is encouraging and reinforces VWSA’s commitment to early childhood development and education. Teaching a child independence and entrepreneurial skills can and will be life-changing for them as they grow older,” said Thomas Schaefer, Volkswagen Group South Africa Chairman and Managing Director.
