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Friday, March 29, 2024

Maiki Oreta

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They say “children live what they learn.” Teach a child while he or she is young and the lessons will be imprinted for life. But it is often not enough to instruct by words alone. Sometimes, the best way for the lesson to take root is by example or practice.

When Maiki Oreta’s daughter, Brielle, encountered a school assignment concerning money, the cable network TV anchor took this as a perfect opportunity for a practical learning experience. Instead of just creating a regular school project, Maiki and Brielle conceived the idea of the Kiddo-preneur Bazaar.

In essence, Kiddo-preneur Bazaar is a marketplace, and the kids are the ones who sell the products and services. It is a venue for the children to learn about business and entrepreneurship up close in a practical setting. And while going about their business, they learn how to “develop an entrepreneurial drive and spirit, the values of hard work and perseverance, deal with healthy competition, think out of the box, and that business can be fun and rewarding.”

Starting them young

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When Maiki broached this idea to her daughter, Brielle, who was six years old at the time, was quite enthusiastic. Even at that age, Maiki had observed that “she already understood that money was important… Kiddo-preneur gave her an outlet to earn her own money. She was very excited to give it a try.” 

Initially, Brielle sold entrance tickets to the Kiddo-preneur bazaar as she considered it “her” business. “But as we mounted more and more events,” proud Mom Maiki shares, “she wanted to develop her own unique store concept. So now, she sells caterpillars via her booth, Science in a Jar.”

Since it began in December 2011, Kiddo-preneur has received backing from notable advocates. The very first one that got them started was The Rockwell Club, which was also the bazaar’s maiden venue. Succeeding events were organized with other partner venues like Alphaland, Robinsons, Glorietta, and Shangri-la Plaza. Aside from these corporate alliances, Kiddo-preneur is also supported by the kids’ families, friends, and schools. All these kind gestures and generosity have allowed Kiddo-preneur to mount more events.

“To tell you the truth, Kiddo-preneur was never meant to be anything more than that one event at The Rockwell Club,” Maiki explains. “But because of the overwhelming response from the parents and the kids for more events, we’ve been staging Kiddo-preneur bi-annually ever since 2011.”

The number of participants has also seen remarkable growth. From about 80 kids in 2011, its roster of participants now hover around 200. Maiki has also observed that even though “one child or a few kids are listed on the application form, many more show up during the event itself to help out. In one instance an entire class (of 45) showed up to help man a single booth!” 

“At Kiddo-preneur, it’s cool for kids to learn about business.” 

Seems like only yesterday when Maiki’s daughter Brielle was six when they first embarked on Kiddo-preneur. Now at 10, Brielle has learned valuable lessons to help build a foundation for a future in business. Likewise, she has taken a more active role in the coordination and logistics of the bazaars, helping her Mom in laying out the event floor plan, as well as talking to other participants. “Pretty soon,” Maiki predicts, “she will be the one organizing it, not me!”

As they sell a wide range of products, like food, fashion accessories, apparel, crochet items, balloons, books, plants, and even caterpillars, the kids also learn the value of hard work. 

“More than anything else, I love that the kids go home feeling accomplished and a bit tired,” Maiki says. “I love also that through this unique Kiddo-preneur experience, they learn that earning isn’t easy, but if done right, it can be very rewarding.”

But Kiddo-preneur extends beyond the bottom line. It instills principles that can form children into socially responsible adults as well. Kiddo-preneur anchors itself on the theme of Earn, Save, Invest, and Donate. Children learn to Earn through their business. Then, they are trained to Save some of the profit “for a rainy day.” Likewise, they are taught to Invest, so that the money they made will grow. And lastly, though certainly not the least, they are encouraged to Donate and give back to a charity that they themselves had chosen, or to individuals who are in need.

Maiki reiterates: “Kiddo-preneur teaches kids that earning money can be just as much fun or even more fun than spending it. We hope that with this early exposure, the kids will learn to love business enough so that one day they can become successful entrepreneurs themselves!”

Visit http://www.kiddo-preneur.com/ for more information.

 

Makeup and hair by Jayfren “JJ” Gallego of Creations by Lourd Ramos Salon • Special thanks to Sophia Tagle, Serena Tagle and Maxine Singson of Kiddo+preneur’s Slushies booth, and Sam Sicam, Sasha Lee, Hannah Talusan and Teuila Va’aelua of Oreo Butter booth

 

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