Students rewarded for being innovative thinkers

(From left) Dr. Lynette Holder, course participant Jerome Ruck receiving his certificate of participation from former CEO of Pinelands Creative Workshop Rodney Grant.

Pinelands Creative Workshop recently concluded its Creating Innovative Thinkers in Business four-day programme by hosting a small awards ceremony during the Youth Symposium which was organized by the Small Business Association of Barbados.

The programme allowed thirty-five students to learn innovative business practices that would allow them to create businesses that can adapt to the ever-changing business sector.

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Pinelands Creative Workshop, Sophia Greaves-Broome, told the students gathered at the Youth Symposium that the Creating Innovative Thinkers Workshop was part of their Multi-Dimensional Approach to Resilience and Adaptability (MARA) Project which received funding support from the Maria Holder Memorial Trust.

Greaves-Broome explained that the training really opened the students’ eyes to the concept of Social Entrepreneurship which was taught by former Chief Executive Officer of Pinelands Creative Workshop, Rodney Grant.

“The journey to getting to this youth symposium, started last week with a four-day training program from September 12th to 15th 2022 where we were hosted by Dr. Deryck Murray and his team at the Centre of Hybrid Studies. That training, which was led by Rodney Grant, provided the opportunity to expose participants to the concept of Social Entrepreneurship and design-thinking which focused on three factors- on inspiration, as the problem or opportunity that motivates the search for solutions; ideation as the process of generating, developing and testing ideas; and implementation as the path that leads from the project stage into people’s lives. Systems-thinking was also discussed which is a powerful methodology focused on understanding how parts interact and work together within a whole system. The driving element of leadership, which is required to make all these approaches work, was also discussed,” she said.

Chief Executive Officer of Pinelands Creative Workshop, Sophia Greaves-Broome, delivering her feature remarks.

The CEO of Pinelands Creative Workshop added: “These approaches were able to generate several ideas and solutions that overlap with food security, climate friendly products and services; aid in the reduction of non-communicable diseases; prioritization of our elders and generational learning and several other ready-to-use ideas and solutions for further development. During that four days what I also saw, was that with guidance, untapped innovative ability was coming to the surface. We began to see climate entrepreneurs; digital and technology entrepreneurs; retail and wholesale entrepreneurs; personal care and fashion entrepreneurs; investment entrepreneurs – all starting to rethink or arrive at a consciousness of how they do business and how their businesses can be beneficial to them as well as society,” she said.

Greaves-Broome told the participants that entrepreneurs play a significant role in the growth and prosperity of a country.

“If we truly believe that youth entrepreneurs are vital to social and economic development and that we are in the fourth industrial revolution and youth will be driving the advancements in innovation and technologies, then it is imperative that a healthy entrepreneurial ecosystem be created. One that encourages the individual to take that step with the necessary support provided;  the necessary incentives to encourage persons to want to become entrepreneurs – not only financial but a mixed approach which includes recognition,  prestige, and the opportunity to be part of something bigger such as tackling a social or environmental problem,” she said.

Kayghun Rouse with her certificate of participation.

At the event Jerome Ruck and Kayghun Rouse were awarded prizes compliments OSI Computers for their excellence in the programme.

(Write Right PR Services).