Kids can learn – and earn – through entrepreneurship as the Multiple Intelligence International School (MIIS) opens its Kids Bazaar 2024 on December 1, 10 am to 6pm at the UP Town Center, Ayala Malls. Parents and the public can enjoy their early Christmas shopping while supporting student-led enterprises for a cause.
The MI Kids Can! Bazaar will feature 26 exciting student booths, with a dedicated booth for each class from Preschool to Grade 12. These booths showcase the creativity and advocacy of the young entrepreneurs, with every product intentionally crafted or chosen to support a specific United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG), says Anica Catarina Abaquin, MIIS Marketing & Business Development Officer.
She explains, “For instance, our 12th-grade students are spotlighting SDG 5 or Gender Equality and SDG 8 or Decent Work and Economic Growth with their Bayong-All-You-Can experience. Shoppers can purchase a bayong handcrafted by women weavers and fill it with as much fresh, locally sourced produce as it can hold. It’s a fun, eco-friendly way to support local farmers and artisans while promoting sustainability.”
Other products available at the bazaar include self-care kits, handwoven clothing made by indigenous women, and more. “Whether you’re looking for unique gifts or sustainable goods, the MI Kids Can! Bazaar has something for everyone,” Abaquin says.
Shop with a heart
The MI Kids Can! For Kids, By Kids Bazaar started in 2000 as the first and only youth entrepreneurship bazaar that was run by elementary school students. Proceeds from the bazaar were allocated to support the PWD child beneficiaries of Bahay Mapagmahal.
Through the years, the bazaar supported different causes dear to the heart of the students such as helping create a forest as a watershed in partnership with students in Tranca, Laguna, to helping kids with cancer, river clean-ups, feeding programs, and helping address various social, economic, and environmental problems.
This year’s bazaar is different because it will not only focus on selling products but also on the bigger advocacy for “Leadership for a Sustainable Future”. MIIS is set to move to a new, state-of-the-art School of the Future campus at Parklinks Estates that will embody this aspiration, says Dr. Mary Joy Canon Abaquin (fondly called Teacher Joy), MIIS Founding Directress. “The MI Kids Can! Bazaar serves as a platform to raise the next generation of leaders who will want to care to use their smarts to make a difference and make the world a better place for all.”
Molding Next-Gen Leaders
The bazaar offers hands-on entrepreneurship experience, bringing their classroom lessons to practice. Students learn how to create products which eventually evolved to learning how to create businesses in the High School. “The bazaar serves as a platform to raise the next generation of leaders who will want to care to use their smarts to make a difference and make the world a better place for all,” says Dr. Abaquin who wrote the best -selling book for Go Negosyo entitled, “8 Simple Secrets to Raising Entrepreneurs”. MIIS was awarded with the Go Negosyo Youth Enabler Award for Basic Education.”
A multi-awarded educator, author, womanpreneur, parent-advocate, and teacher-trainer, Dr. Abaquin is a pioneer and a staunch Philippine educational reform advocate. After graduating magna cum laude with a degree in Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of the Philippines, she pursued a Masters in Early Childhood Education at Boston University, and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership at Nova Southeastern University. Her impressive educational background plus the extensive and impactful work that she does in the field of education have been instrumental in the growth of MIIS as a sustainable school of the future.
MIIS gives students in preschool ages 5 to Senior High School students ages 18 the opportunity to create products or business plans through the application of lessons in math and entrepreneurship. They learn not only business skills but 21st-century skills such as creativity, collaboration, communication, critical thinking, and problem-solving,” explains Dr. Abaquin.
The MI Kids Can! Bazaar gives students the opportunity to gain confidence in themselves as they interact with the real marketplace and the public. They are given different roles in the bazaar to be the cashier, marketer, booth designer, and package products.
Dr. Abaquin shares, “Intelligence is defined by Dr. Howard Gardner as the ability to create products that are valued in a cultural setting. Thus, in line with the MIIS framework, we believe that intelligence has to be applied. Entrepreneurship is very much in line with creating products that are valued and the MI Kids Can! Bazaar advocacy is very much aligned with the MIIS motto, “Use Your Intelligences to Make A Difference”.
Student Leaders
Lauren Vittoria Guevarra, MIIS Upper School Student Council President has participated in the bazaar since kindergarten. “For the past 13 years, this entire event has reminded me that no man is an island. Every step forward is all thanks to the team behind it. We wouldn’t be where we were now without each other, nor would our products and business. Teamwork, collaboration, and communication are skills vital to the success of everything.”
Leane Ysabelle Ventura, Global Youth President of the United Nations Youth Association of the Philippines and President and Founder of the MIIS Leaders for Sustainable Development Club says that the bazaar prepares students for their future endeavors. “As someone whose skill foundation is built from hands-on exposure, I know first-hand how effective hands-on experiences are. It teaches preparation, organization, and negotiation skills. Especially if they want to pursue a career in the business world, the Bazaar will allow the students to experience what it’s like to work in different departments such as marketing and finance, within a timeframe, and most importantly, teach them teamwork!”
Formation and foundation
MIIS has a strong formation program that equips students with Socio-Emotional Learning (SEL) skills. This enables them to learn self-awareness, relationship skills, and responsibility which are foundational skills for success. In addition, student well-being is a priority through helping students learn about growth mindset and grit, says Dr. Abaquin.
The school will soon be able to accommodate more students and equip them with a growth mindset through the Multiple Intelligences framework. “We are excited to open our doors in the new campus for SY 2025-26. Construction is well underway and we are inviting the business community to get involved in our advocacy of raising the next generation of Leaders for Sustainable Development. This is much needed by the Philippines to be globally competitive and relevant,” says Ramon Abaquin, MIIS Chairman of the Board.
The school’s next big event is the MI Green Family Festival, happening in early 2025. This much-anticipated annual school-wide event provides families with a chance to bond, create lasting memories, and support the school’s sustainability initiatives. To keep up with the latest MIIS events and announcements, follow its social media accounts , @miischool on Instagram and @MIInternationalSchool on Facebook or visit the website at mischool.edu.ph.
