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Your Council creating new earning opportunities for you
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A world of opportunity
More than 1,500 Hull children and young people will be inspired to strive for careers in business as part of this year's Global Entrepreneurship Week, which starts on November 17
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Malet Lambert pupils Jordan Smith (left) and Adam Goforth hope to use their Lunchbox Buddy to promote good nutrition among Hull schoolchildren |
Fireflight is a young enterprise company going from strength to strength.
Formed last September by pupils from Malet Lambert School in east Hull, it was this year named the best young enterprise in the Humber region thanks to its Cooking Companion product.
The Cooking Companion is a new twist on traditional cookery books – a series of recipe cards in a plastic case that stands upright on a kitchen worktop, allowing recipes to be read at a glance and preventing ingredients from being spilt on them during cooking.
Jordan Smith and Adam Goforth, who head up Fireflight, have now launched their Lunchbox Buddy project, which they hope will encourage Hull primary school children to eat five portions of fruit and vegetables a day.
The idea impressed Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, on one of her recent visits to the city.
"The success of the Cooking Companion came as quite a shock to us – we produced 1,000 of them and all were sold to people in Hull," Jordan says.
"I knew there was potential in the product although I didn't expect to get the response we had.
"We're hoping for the same success with our Lunchbox Buddy and having the support of Sarah Ferguson has really boosted our confidence."
Jordan and Adam say taking part in Global Entrepreneurship Week will give them the chance to share experiences with other young entrepreneurs.
Meanwhile, a strong emphasis is placed on youth enterprise at Malet Lambert, says Stephen Logan, who teaches business studies and ICT at the school.
"The aim is to give students the confidence to set up enterprises which can then give them the skills to succeed in business or in other careers once they leave school," he says.
New horizons
A total of 25 Global Entrepreneurship Week events will take place across the city and in Hull schools to inspire and mentor the next generation of entrepreneurs.
Hull City Council wants to help create 1,200 new businesses in the city over the next 10 years, and encouraging youth enterprise is part of the vision.
"The week will have a global focus because we want young people to understand the international nature of modern business," says Charles Cracknell, the council's employment and youth enterprise manager.
"This will broaden their horizons and show how businesses in Hull can trade far beyond the city's boundaries.
"Think of the clothes we wear, the food we eat and the technology we use – business has never been so global and we want young people to apply the knowledge they gain through the week to businesses they may be involved in or employed by in the future."
The week includes an event for primary schools at the KC Stadium, featuring speakers Abhimanu Kudasamy, the High Commissioner of Mauritius, and William Wilberforce, a direct descendant of Hull's anti-slavery campaigner of the same name.
There will also be an enterprise masterclass at the University of Hull, where young people can gain advice on developing their business ideas and hear from Alan Johnson MP, who as well as being Secretary of State for Health is also patron of the Hull Youth Enterprise Partnership.
The week concludes with a celebration at the university on the Friday evening to be attended by international soul singer Junior.
Funds raised through the sale of tickets will support Hull's enterprising young people and the Victoria Climbie School in the Ivory Coast.
For tickets email youthenterprise@hullcc.gov.uk
Star speaker
One of the speakers at this year's event will be blind adventurer Miles Hilton Barber, who will tell his young audience that 'the only limits in our lives are those we accept ourselves'.
Blind for 25 years, Miles has not let his disability hold him back and among his achievements are climbing 17,500ft in the Himalayas and completing 40 skydiving jumps.
"I hope I can encourage young people to overcome any challenges they may have in their lives to go forward and achieve their goals," says Miles.
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