Pupils’ recycled waste cafe idea tops 5 900 schools
CATHCART High School has flown the South African flag high when it was named the best business idea winner in a global entrepreneurial challenge.
The school’s original idea of a café made from recycled waste beat 5 900 schools from more than 110 countries to take the winning podium in the School Enterprise Challenge, an international programme which supports pupils and teachers to plan, set up and run a school business.
Cathcart High School’s Dancing Taste Buds Cafe was the business winner after competing with businesses ranging from a community gym in Belize in South America to a vegetable farm in Rwanda.
Cathcart High is one of the participating schools in the Entrepreneurial and Environmental Empowerment for South African Youth (Eeesay) project, a partnership between Teach a Man to Fish (TAMTF) and the Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa (Wessa).
Eeesay project manager Sue Spies said 6 000 pupils from 40 schools in Amajuba and Uthukela districts in KwaZulu-Natal and the Amathole and Chris Hani districts in the Eastern Cape gained practical business skills when they set up and ran an educational and environmentally sustainable enterprise at their school for three years.
“Cathcart High pupils and educators attended the Eeesay workshops and developed their business idea for Dancing Taste Buds Café. Pupils and educators received stepby-step experiential learning on how to identify business opportunities, apply sound and sustainable business planning and then implement robust business operations to generate a profit,” she said.
Spies said what made Cathcart High’s business idea stand out was how they applied creative thinking around how to combine using waste to meet the needs of their coffee shop, and also how they used two-litre bottles to make ottoman chairs for their customers to sit on.
“This had generated profit as making more ottomans than what they needed, gave them enough to sell,” she said.
Cathcart High School coordinator Fiona Amos-Brown said they were ecstatic.
“We are inspired to continue making a difference as we guide pupils to continue persevering in their business ventures. We would like to encourage other participants to continue striving to fulfil their dreams and not give up in the face of adversity. We all have amazing potential; the secret is to believe it.”
Coordinator of the School Enterprise Challenge in South Africa Susannah Morcowitz said pupils and teachers at Cathcart High School had made huge strides in entrepreneurial education this year.
“Winning the best business idea prize and competing against 6 000 schools from around the world is a true testament to all their hard work,” she said.
Grade 11 pupi Siviwe Mantlana said: “I find my school winning this award very inspiring. I’m extremely proud to be part of Cathcart High School and part of Eeesay project and will continue to work hard to ensure that our project remains a success.”
Sinalo Makunga said he felt filled with pride to be a pupil at Cathcart High School.
“I am inspired to get involved with the school project. It proves that our town – as small as it is – can achieve big goals.” –