Winners of this year’s YouthBiz competition have been announced!  $2,200 in prize money was awarded to students in southeast Saskatchewan for their efforts in describing their business ideas and developing business plans.  This year, 275 students from 12 schools registered to compete in the youth contest.  YouthBiz is a program offered by Community Futures (CF) Sunrise.

In the Grade 6 – 8 category, first place and $500 in prize money was awarded to Kamryn Doud of Radville for her jewelry business, Dzigns.  Second place and $300 went to Brooke Dzeryk and Kate Dalziel of Estevan for their lunch delivery service, Bistro 2 Go.  Third place and $150 was awarded to Ember Sims of Weyburn for her rock jewelry and gifts business, Embers Alley. 

In the Grade 9 – 12 category, first place and $500 went to Brianna Macfarlane from the Carnduff Education Complex for her RV restoration business Redemption Roads Custom Van Builds.  Ella Leko from Weyburn Comprehensive School earned second place and a prize of $300 for her bakery Cookie Co.  Third place and $150 was awarded to Connor McIndoe from Midale School for his hunting supply store Gunners.

“This is the 15^th year for YouthBiz and over the years we’ve seen approximately 2,825 young people in southeast Saskatchewan discover the world of small business.  YouthBiz allows students to explore the business world by developing skills needed to be an entrepreneur.  They write about a business idea that they’ve dreamed up or already operated, and evaluate the potential profitability of their venture.  Students work hard to develop their business plans, and they connect with the small business community as they research their ideas.  Teachers and students agree that they learn so much from their participation in YouthBiz,” comments Verna O’Neill of CF Sunrise.

Achievement Awards were given to students whose entries displayed outstanding qualities, worthy of special recognition.  Students from Assiniboia Park Elementary School and Carnduff Education Complex earned awards for the Income Calculations they showcased in their entries. The award for Big, Bold Commercials went to four students at St. Michaels School in Weyburn: Kyde Schwindt, Mulugeta Kesete, Mira Bourassa and Sophie Walkeden.  The grade six class at Carievale School won an award for the Audio Commercials they submitted to support their YouthBiz submissions.

YouthBiz winners and samples of their some entry materials are featured on the CF Sunrise website.  Special thanks to the mentorship provided by schools in the region, and the generous support of sponsors:  Information Services Corp., Weyburn Credit Union and SaskTel.

Students in southeast Saskatchewan have been hard at work this fall, dreaming up creative business ideas and preparing their business entries for the 15^th annual YouthBiz contest.  This award-winning youth entrepreneurship program is offered by Community Futures (CF) Sunrise, to encourage young people to experience the world of micro-business.

“We’ve seen a tremendous amount of interest in YouthBiz this year.  Teachers and students are excited to explore business concepts and discover how businesses are started in Saskatchewan,” comments Verna O’Neill, General Manager of CF Sunrise.

YouthBiz has been making an impact in the lives of youth, with many examples of its effects showcased in our southeast region over the years.  Most notable this year is the experience of one past YouthBiz participant, Katelyn Lascelle.  Katelyn grew up in Weyburn, participated in YouthBiz with her grade seven class and went on to become an educator herself.  She now teaches at Sacred Heart school in Estevan, and this year she chose to involve her grade seven class in the YouthBiz contest! “YouthBiz is a fun and engaging project that allows students to discover their passions and interests.  It connects to many of our learning objects in the classroom, which leads to a rich learning experience,” says Lascelle. “When I participated in YouthBiz, my business idea was a unique and stylish clothing line and store that I wanted to open.  I was very interested in design and fashion at the time and wanted to put my creativity to good use.”

Another young entrepreneur that is currently putting her creativity to good use is Kamryn Doud from Radville.  Kamryn is entering the YouthBiz contest this year, and will be writing about her jewelry design business, Dzigns.  She makes fashionable and fun earrings and is preparing for a busy Christmas season. “I have an Instagram page with the handle dzign.doud and also will be at the Santa Supermarket trade show in Radville on November 20,” comments Doud. Writing about her business for the YouthBiz contest has helped her to think of many more aspects about her small business development.

The YouthBiz contest entry deadline is November 18, and student awards will be announced by mid-December.  A big thank you to the sponsors of this program: Information Services Corp (ISC) and SaskTel.

Winners for the 2019 YouthBiz competition have been announced!  $2,200 in prize money was awarded to students in southeast Saskatchewan for their efforts in describing their business ideas and developing business plans.  This year, 212 students from 12 schools registered to compete in the youth contest.  YouthBiz is a program offered by Community Futures (CF) Sunrise.

In the Grade 6 – 8 category, first place and $500 in prize money was awarded to Brynn Fettes and Ashlyn Becker of Radville for their horse riding and training business, Broken Spur.  Second place and $300 went to Sadie McFadden and Harper Stewart of Radville for their marine education centre, Biology Bay.  Third place and $150 was awarded to Vianne Marquart of White City for her sports store, Sticks ‘N Rings Ringette Shop. 

In the Grade 9 – 12 category, first place and $500 went to the Entrepreneurship 30 class at Weyburn Comprehensive School for their business Soup ‘R Snacks.  Jennifer Wiebe and Rebecca Bleasdale of Midale earned second place and a prize of $300 for their business Infinite Designs.  Third place and $150 was awarded to Rhea Sturgeon and Jaylyn Prawdzik for their company Bunnyhop Cafe.

“This is the 13^th year for YouthBiz and over the years we’ve seen approximately 2,600 young people in southeast Saskatchewan discover the world of small business.  YouthBiz allows students to explore the business world by developing skills needed to be an entrepreneur.  They write about a business idea that they’ve dreamed up and evaluate the potential profitability of their venture.  Students work hard to develop their business plans, and they connect with the small business community as they research their ideas.  Teachers and students agree that they learn so much from their participation in YouthBiz,” comments Verna O’Neill of CF Sunrise.

Achievement Awards were given to students whose entries displayed outstanding qualities, worthy of special recognition.  Students from Assiniboia Park Elementary School in Weyburn earned a group award for the Detailed Sales Calculations they performed on their Income Sheets.  Hannah Adams and Jersey Barber from Carievale won an award due to the excellent Community & Market Description in their business plan.  Aisha Block, Alyssa Schweigert and Ashley Neb from Macoun described the high Product Quality Standards of their market garden products, earning an award for their efforts.   An award for Product Prototypes went to Elora Holman and Hallee Shaver from Estevan for the doghouse prototypes they built in preparation for their YouthBiz contest entry.  The award for Innovative Business Idea was won by Mhio Tallayo and Hope Bod of Estevan for their compost business, Fertile Acres. The grade six class at St. Michael School in Weyburn won an award for the Eye-Catching Logos they submitted with their YouthBiz entries.

YouthBiz winners and samples of their entry materials are featured on the CF Sunrise website:  www.cfsask.ca/sunrise .  Special thanks to the mentorship provided by schools in the region, and the generous support of sponsors:  Information Services Corp., Weyburn Credit Union, Affinity Credit Union and SaskTel.