EVOLV3
Ambition and Creativity in Action
The focus of EVOLV3 this year is to link each session to our school values. Linking with the Business and Enterprise department and the organizers from PUSH Worldwide, we offered a Dragons Den themed day to a group of identified students focusing on the value of Ambition. It was a 5-hour session held on Saturday 14th November with 18 students from Years 7 to 10 in attendance. PUSH is a group of volunteers who are driven to see young people succeed and have a proven track record with working with supporting junior startup companies.
HIS EVOLV3: Empowering Students
Horizon International School's EVOLV3 Session at Ting Irie: Cultivating Problem-Solving Skills and Fostering the Spirit of Entrepreneurship
This was our first EVOLV3 session of the year, and the setting for the day was perfect, igniting the students’ creativity and ideas. The session was held at the colorful Caribbean Restaurant, Ting Irie, in the heart of Dubai’s Business Sector.
The day began with some fun ice breaker games which put everyone at ease from the start. This was followed by a key note speech from Ismat Abu Shihab an IT and Management professional from the Dubai University of Bradford. Ismat provided some solid advice and encouraged the students to follow their passion, be focused on their goals and to remain driven in the pursuit of what they want to achieve in life.
The brief for the day was to discuss some of the current problems that have arisen in school since returning post lockdown. This was an interesting process and after an initial brainstorm and discussions with the PUSH mentors they began to develop their solutions and Business concept. The students worked collaboratively taking on different roles within the group while looking at all the aspects needed to bring their idea to life. Once they had agreed on their product or concept, they began to prepare for their pitch to the Industry specialists (Dragons).
Push were supported by three experienced industry specialists - Amo Latchman (Startup Advisor, Social Entrepreneur and Investment Strategist), Natalie Lindo (TV and Radio Journalist from the Arabian Radio Network) and Tebby Burrows (singer, song writer, recent winner of NBC Songland with John Legend singing her song). The judges arrived towards the end of the day and listened to each of the four group’s presentations. Towards the end of each presentation, they questioned the groups about their products.
The students demonstrated great confidence and articulated clearly their Business idea to the Dragons. Each group showed they had clearly given their concept great thought, with a solution-based approach, trial periods, branding ideas, budgeting costs, projected earnings, market research and looked at the competition within the market.
Many of these students have now signed up for a 10-week training programme led by the personal trainers from the newly opened Studio Republik. These sessions started on Wednesday 15th January 2020 and will update you on the students’ progress throughout the term.
It was a difficult decision for the panel of judges but after some deliberation they finally selected team Tech Pod for their revolutionary tech table pack concept. Their product was developed to help solve some of the technical challenges and accessibility schools are facing with the increased use of technology. The pack included cloud storage space, charging points, device accessories and connectable touch screens. This idea alongside those developed from the other groups, demonstrated that this group of 18 students has much to offer the future world of business.
However, the real success of the day was the opportunities provided for the students to be able to work together with likeminded students, discussing important issues and thinking practically how to plan solutions to the problem. The students utilised and developed a variety of different learning skills throughout the day in a real-life setting.
Each student has received a certificate for their participation in the session and will be invited to access some further PUSH projects, which they have planned over the coming months.
The next PUSH project they will be running is an Inter-school investment competition commencing Monday January 18th 2021. Information on the competition details is attached. Students in Year 8 and above are eligible to register. The registration for this event can be completed via www.pushdubai.com .
If you think your child would enjoy and benefit from a project like this, we would highly recommend it and we look forward to future collaborations with PUSH.
Many of these students have now signed up for a 10-week training programme led by the personal trainers from the newly opened Studio Republik. These sessions started on Wednesday 15th January 2020 and will update you on the students’ progress throughout the term.
Next steps