Young Enterprise Scheme National Awards 2020

Malaga (second from the left) pictured with Jay Berwick (centre) from Future Leaders Academy, Maureen Betham, Director Community Partnerships from the Ministry of Pacific Peoples. and Malaga’s team "the hustle".

Future Leaders Academy have been actively supporting the Young Enterprise Trust, in particular the Young Enterprise Scheme (YES) since 2016. We have been providing leadership development for their students and it maybe a little-known secret to some, but the Young Enterprise Scheme is one of our favourite initiatives to support, as their ethos is aligned with ours.

Inspiring Students, Unleashing Leaders. Inspiring young people to discover their potential in business and in life. Making this happen is what excites us. – Young Enterprise Scheme.

In 2019 the Young Enterprise Trust worked with a total of 4,032 students from 200 schools which set up over 1,000 YES companies. The YES program is growing and has increased in size by 62% from 2014. By working and training these young people, we know that they go on to have successful careers and become job creators of today or the future.

Statistics provided by the Young Enterprise Scheme from their 2019 survey stated that 54% of their students were more interested in starting their own business as a result of participating in YES. At the same time a separate survey was conducted from the YES Alumni where 21% self-identified as an entrepreneur. The Alumni created 263 companies of which 160 are still active, and 46% of companies were social enterprises. The most impressive figure that came out of the survey was the number of jobs created, estimated at between 2,700 and 4,600. These statistics are proof that the YES participants are the job creators of today and the future.

On 10 December the Lion Foundation Young Enterprise Scheme National Awards evening was held at Te Papa, which is an evening showcasing and celebrating the entrepreneurial successes of the Young Enterprise Scheme’s students. This is an event that we enjoy being part of; and this year we were privileged to have been asked to select and present the Student CEO of the Year Award.

Future Leaders Academy provided the award recipients with prizes to support their leadership journey. The winners of the award were:

• 1st Prize (YES CEO of the Year) – Malaga Aukusotino from Bishop Viard College, receives a place on one of our next Pacific Students Leadership Courses, valued at $3,000 and $1,000 worth of Leadership training of his choice.

• 2nd Prize –Amber Harrison from Otumoetai College receives $1,000 worth of Leadership training of her choice.

• 3rd Prize -Josh Earnshaw from Timaru Boys College, who receives $500 worth of Leadership training of his choice.

Pictured above - Josh, Malaga and Amber – Student CEO Category winners.

Whilst the main events for 2020 Young Enterprise Scheme are now complete, we look forward to continuing our work with the Young Enterprise Scheme in 2021 and years to come, after all working with our youth to become the best versions of themselves is what we are passionate about and what we do!

Here’s some feedback from those who played a part in this year’s Young Enterprise Scheme:

Talofa lava. My name is Malaga Aukusotino, CEO of the business "the hustle" from Bishop Viard College. My experience in YES is truly something that is life changing, I have had the privilege to work and serve my community, by creating a product that would tell our communities stories, language, culture, and history.

I have been guided and nurtured by many people, my principal Chris Theobald, business mentor Gina Lefaoseu, and Imeleta Tyrell, who have played key roles in my success. However, I could not be viewed as a great leader, if it were not for my colleagues, who believed in my ability to lead. The many Business ventures "the hustle" took part in has moulded me into a confident Pasiffika Male, who has taken an interest in Business Studies. I've been brought up with a teaching of fa'aaloalo which has helped me learn to respect all contributions made by colleagues and by the community.

It has not always been a smooth sailing experience for "the hustle", we had to overcome obstacles and adversities, such as miscommunications, lack of technology, and lack of collaborative working space. However, we saw this as no excuse for shortcomings, so we put ideas together, and decided to learn what strengths we can work on to benefit our business. So I'd like to say a massive thank you to my colleagues Siose, Oliver, Mia, Le, Leofi, and Maia who have contributed greatly to "the hustles'' success. I will definitely take the skills I have learnt from my year in YES to use in my future everyday life. Malaga Aukusotino, Student CEO Category Winner.

“The Bishop Viard College community are enormously proud of the recognition given to Malaga by way of the Young Enterprise Student CEO of NZ Award. It is such a well-deserved acknowledgement of the hard work and determination that Malaga has shown, not just in the business side of the hustle, but also in his own personal development. The growth that Malaga has exhibited over the year by way of his involvement in the Young Enterprise Scheme has been phenomenal as he has continued to push his own comfort levels and try new ideas and ways of working.

The calibre of businesses and CEO’s nationwide and those present at the National Awards was awe inspiring. For Malaga to be leading this pack shows not only the commitment that he has had to The Hustle, but also the widespread support, respect and love that his family and our community has given him to help him grow and mature into the proud young man we see today.”

Chris Theobald, Principal – Bishop Viard College

“All 3 of the CEO finalists showed incredible resilience and determination. Leading their YES companies through a turbulent and stressful year with unwavering leadership and passion. The top 3 finalists were selected from almost 200 YES CEO’s in 2020.

Malaga Aukusotino demonstrated fa’aaloalo (respect) and Mafana (warmth) through his leadership. Despite not having access to internet through level 4 lockdown Malaga remained resilient and empowered his fellow team mates to do the same.

The National Awards are always a very special evening celebrating the success of our wonderful YES students, however, after such a turbulent year, this evening felt even more special to both students, teachers and YES staff alike.” Liz Pittman, Head of YES

Feedback from our guests of the evening were:

“It was an exciting night to be part of and especially inspiring to realise that the twenty one youth-led businesses that we were introduced to were just a small selection of the more than 1000 businesses started as part of the Young Enterprise Scheme this year. And chatting to the finalists and winners, it was clear to see that they weren’t going to stop there. Having started one business they had caught the bug and many were shaping an entrepreneurial future.

There was very noticeable socially conscious focus, from almost all the businesses who made it to the final. This shows both the community minded approach to business that drives our young leaders and that there is space to save the world and make a living doing so. Very cool to see.”

Erin Sampson, Future Leaders Academy Board Member.