Some people might be unaware of what Junior Achievement is, and why they should care about a tradeshow? Simply stated, Junior Achievement is a program which is typically signed up for during summer or September, and begins in October, lasting for around 5 months. Students from various High Schools meet up once a week at a certain location, and with help from mentors, attempt to create a business, appointing specific roles amongst themselves such as President, and Vice President positions. Student gain real experience into the hardships of business, and develop rewarding and valuable connections.
The tradeshow on February 9th was a culmination of the efforts put together by these student entrepreneurs. This event was held at CrossIron Mills, and featured all of the Junior Achievement companies in Southern Alberta. The teams set up between the Forever 21 and Victoria’s Secret area, which is most easily found through the entrance by the food court/movie theater. Each Junior Achievement company is mandated to donate at least 25% of their proceeds to a charity of their choice, so it was also a great opportunity to help other charities when visiting. Here a few of the items made by creative companies who kindly gave me permission to feature them.
OmNOMZ
Before you succumb to his dazzling looks, let me present to you, The Mellow Fellow. OmNOMZ, the company I belong to, produces these fun and useful toys made from tennis balls! Each tennis ball has a suction cup on its back to attach to a wall or surface, and if you squeeze the sides of its face, its mouth open and serves as an multi-purpose item holder. By re-utilizing used tennis balls and making them into entertaining and usable toys, we are able to create environmentally friendly products which encourages our message to appreciate simple pleasures. Our charity of choice is Kidsport. Be sure to visit our booth to see our Mellow Fellow (above) and the other various products we offer, as unique designs and personalities are present in each of our products! Our website can be found here, and our Instagram can be found here.
EcoPaws
EcoPaws produces environmentally friendly dog and cat toys! They are made from donated T-shirts and re-purpose them to make these awesome and fun toys for pets. By carefully weaving various strips of used shirts, they developed the Tuggle “Dog Toy” and Whisker Weaver “Cat Toy”, creating a specific toy for a dog to endlessly chew, and a simple cat toy with a fringed end and bells to captivate the attention of cats. Each toy sells for 5 dollars each and the charity of their choice is the Alberta Animal Rescue Crew Society. Their Instagram and website can be found here and here respectively.
HeatCo
Take a look at these wonderful heat packs HeatCo has made! By using high-quality, and recycled fabric, as well as high-heat capacity rice inside, they were able to produce gentle and soothing, yet affordable and eco-friendly heat packs. Each small heat pack costs 8 dollars, and a large heat pack costs 9. For an enhanced relaxation experience, the heat packs also have essential oils and a washable, protective outer layer. The charity of their choice is Inn From The Cold. Their Instagram and website can be found here and here respectively.
EnviroNote
Motivated by a desire to encourage sustainability, as well as creativity within their community, EnviroNote developed a notebook from fully recycled materials. From a cover made from donated and recycled plastic, to beautiful clean white pages made from fully recycled paper, unlike many recycled notebooks with yellow tinted pages, the Enviro-notebook is a highly innovative product. Each notebook costs seven dollars, and their charity of choice is Green Calgary. Their Instagram and website can be found here and here respectively.
Save Our Socks
Save Our Socks is a company which wanted to increase efficiency and ease into the day-to-day lives of people, and perceived the inefficiency of searching for sock pairs after washing or drying. As efficiency and convenience was an utmost priority, they created special sock rings to ensure socks are connected to each other and do not become separated and useless until a matching sock was found. For eight dollars, a six-pack of high quality Sock Buddies can be bought, and you can prevent the destructive forces of a washer or dryer from separating socks again. Save Our Socks believes that you can use your time much more wisely and effectively than paring socks. The charity of their choice is Inn From the Cold, and their Instagram and website can be found here and here respectively.
I would highly recommend for anyone who wants to explore their passions and the opportunities around them to apply to Junior Achievement during the summer. Personally, my experience at Junior Achievement has allowed me to develop many new relationships, and gain valuable insight into the business world. Junior Achievement has allowed me to develop stronger time-management skills, and to become more productive. You can sign up for Junior Achievement here beginning in July, and I hope to see many new people again!
