The holiday season is full of local opportunities to sell (and purchase) artisan products.
For one group of students at Garden Valley Collegiate (GVC) in Winkler, the experience is also a chance to transfer what they’ve learned in the classroom to a real-world environment.
Learning how to start a business
Over the weekend at the Winkler Christmas Market at New Leaf Garden Centre, Olivia Driedger was one of the students who got a taste of what it’s like to run a business for her Venture Development Class.
“We all decided on our business partners and then what we were going to be selling, and now we are here during the weekends at the Christmas Market,” she said.
According to Driedger, approximately 11 student groups in the class will take turns attending the market to sell a wide range of products that they developed themselves.
Calendars and cancer care
On November 29, Driedger and her partners sold their custom calendars.
“[We used] photos that we’ve taken throughout our high school years,” she said, adding that class topics like marketing and pricing helped her and her classmates design their market stall.
Also included in the lesson was the opportunity for students to decide what to do with their earnings, whether to keep the funds or donate them.
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Driedger’s group decided to give a portion of the proceeds from calendar sales to the Canadian Cancer Society.
“My grandpa had cancer and [I] really have a spot in my heart for that,” she explained.
‘One of our goals is to get students into the community’
Teacher Rhonda Kezema leads the Venture Development group, which includes Grade 11 and 12 students who have been planning their businesses since September.
They have also been learning about entrepreneurship since then.
For Kezema, attending the market is a good chance (and a fun one) to put the students’ newly learned skills into action in their own city.
“One of our goals is to get students into the community. It’s so nice to see everything happening in high school, but to get them meeting the public, practicing their customer service skills, and just getting out of the classroom is something we’re really excited to do, and I love it,” she said.
“I love watching them.”
Kezema added that when she looks at her students, she sees budding entrepreneurs.
“It’s just definitely, I think, morale building and getting to know everyone on a different level. I think it’s going to help them in the future,” she said.
The GVC Venture Development students will return to the Winkler Christmas Market next weekend.