Students at Park Special School Excel in Business
The pupils at Park Special School in Belfast have demonstrated impressive business skills, potentially rivaling contestants on The Apprentice. A company established and managed by the students recently secured two major awards at the Young Enterprise Northern Ireland Awards.
The enterprise, named Where's Ma Keys, produces and sells gifts, keyrings, and sensory products.
They reinvested the £1,700 profit earned by purchasing Easter Eggs for every other pupil in the school.
Company Origins and Purpose
Ritchie, a 19-year-old member of Where's Ma Keys, explained the motivation behind the company’s creation.
"We're a company that takes value in trying to help people find their keys because I lose my keys all the time,"
"We've decided to help people find their keys easier and why not sprinkle a bit of sensory awareness as well."
Ritchie added that some keyrings are specifically designed to assist individuals experiencing anxiety or stress.
"With our company we focus on sensory-based objects because we're part of a special needs school,"
"People learn in a multitude of different ways and we find it easier with sensory based stuff.
So having even simple beads, having them in their hands while they're trying to learn maths or English or anything helps them focus and helps them understand that anxiety is normal and people have it all the time."
The keyrings include tactile items such as fishes made of beads or smoothly-shelled turtles designed to touch and hold.
Team Roles and Contributions
Corey, also 19, was responsible for manufacturing the products.
"I was in charge of making resin, such as turtles and stuff and letters, initials,"
"It feels like we're working as a team, I'm very proud of my team."
"We all know to help each other out when we need it."
Corey described receiving the awards for Best Overall Team and Best Presentation at the Belfast City Hall ceremony as an exceptional experience.
Darren, aged 17, managed the company’s finances.
"I am the financial manager, so I check how much cost our products are,"
"We've made about £1,700 in profit, which is massive.
"I think our most popular thing is our fishes.
"One of the customers said we should make a big fish, the Belfast fish, and it's been selling loads!"
Darren explained that the team chose to share their success with the entire school community.
"We wanted to be kind and give out to the whole school as a thank you, with Easter Eggs,"
"They really loved it and I loved it too."
Educational Impact and Teacher Insights
This is not the first instance of business success for a team from Park Special School.
Teacher Jill West commented on the inspiration behind the company’s formation.
"The students actually set up a business and run it as a business so they learn about resilience, things that go wrong, they also learn about teamwork, finance, branding, budgeting,"
"But I think the most important thing for them is the confidence they gain from it."
She noted that the idea originated from students observing a trend of keychains on school bags.
