OmanPride: Competition to develop children’s entrepreneurial skills being held

More sports Saturday 15/July/2017 19:22 PM
By: Times News Service
OmanPride: Competition to develop children’s entrepreneurial skills being held

“Today’s children are tomorrow’s leaders,” is a phrase that’s believed to hold great importance, especially in an era, where the thought of starting a business lingers in the creative minds of youngsters around the world as they grow and develop their passion.
In Oman, a company under the name of ‘Hemity’ has started a friendly competition, where children compete in a business-like environment to win prizes that could further their entrepreneurial skills.

The Hemity brand was launched in early 2017 by sisters Amal, Amaal, Jihan, Juhaina, Ibtisam, and Amira Al Jashami to educate and encourage the culture of business among children around the Sultanate and to raise awareness about the importance of supporting children and their future ambitions for a better and brighter outlook for the nation.

The educational training camp focuses on developing business skills for children aged nine to 12 years, where they will get together to plan, execute, and showcase their concepts and projects at local malls and markets.

Amal Al Jashami said the competition is set to help children identify with the fundamentals of starting a business in a challenging atmosphere as it is a direction that’s seen as promising for young Omanis, especially during these uncertain economic times. Buying, selling, and negotiating; dealing with costumers; teamwork; marketing; leadership; and money management are among the skills that participants will gain after the completion of their projects.

The children will also undergo a number of challenges, including structuring their project and planning it according to certain guidelines. Challenges include finding an appropriate project idea and name, designing a logo and brand, decided on product pricing, and working with students from the German University of Technology in Oman (GUtech) to design and arrange stalls.

“There will be business workshops for participants prior to the competition, where we will educate them on idea generation, market study, and marketing study,” said Amal. The aspiring entrepreneurs will have a tonne of choices for their venture, with suggestions ranging from creativity-driven fields, such as 3D printing service, perfume and incense, and painting, to food-related businesses, such as baking desserts, making ice cream, and selling gourmet sandwiches.

The evaluation will be based on the project’s innovative concept, teamwork capabilities, project quality, professionalism, money management, and cleanliness among other things. And, winners will be provided with certificates as well as prizes to encourage them to continue their journey of becoming a household name in the future. Previous contests were held in Muscat and Sur, and the upcoming one is set to take place in Salalah on July 25.
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