By Mildred Siabi-Mensah
Takoradi, June 13, GNA – The Archbishop Porter Girls Senior High School (SHS) in the Western Region has emerged winners of the Trash to Art Competition to inculcate environmental protection and sustainability principles in the Ghanaian child.
The Ahantaman Girls SHS took the first runner-up position, while St. John’s School took the third prize.
The event, organied at the Fijai SHS, supported by Genial Sozial, Germany, also saw other schools like the Fijai and St. Mary’s Boys SHSs participating.
The competition is a project of the African Effectual Entrepreneurship Initiative (AEEI), being spearheaded by the Social Entrepreneurship Hub in Takoradi, through its Nnoboa Space initiative, Society for Effectual Action, USA and Scio Network, Germany.
Inspired by the work of Professor Saras Sarasvathy, and Paul M. Hammaker, Professor in Business Administration at the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business, the competition challenged students to apply effectual logic resourcefulness and creativity to conceptualize artistic masterpieces from waste materials.
It fostered environmental awareness and showcased the incredible talent and innovative spirit of Ghana’s young minds, Mr Romeo A. B. Akoto, a member of the organising team, said on Wednesday.
The overall objective was to empower students to become champions of sustainability and the circular economy through effectual entrepreneurship.
The juries took the opportunity to encourage the students to take their lessons seriously and master their talent since the future was bright for them as art students.
Doctors Kwabena Obiri Yeboah, Emmanuel Nomafo, Abigail Amoako Kayser, Jim Zuffoletti and Brian Kayser from the African Effectual Entrepreneurship Initiative commended the heads of the participating institutions, teachers of the visual art and students for ensuring the success of the programme.
The team commended the dedication and ingenuity of the students, which were instrumental in making the inaugural event successful.
Mr Peter Schaub-Nzoley, a teacher from Ahantaman Girls’ Senior High School, commended the Social Entrepreneurship Hub for providing a platform for the students to showcase their talents.
“I believe today’s programme had given all of us rich experience from the participating schools and we hope to see more of these programmes in the future.”
The AEEI, as part of the project, had earlier organised a workshop for the teachers to brainstorm on strategies to shape the future of African entrepreneurs.
The workshop also provided teachers with an opportunity to collaborate on a curriculum for teaching effectuation in high schools in Ghana.
The curriculum, already tested in the United States of America, is designed to empower future generations of African entrepreneurs, which covers topics like effectual decision-making, opportunity identification and creation, and resource leveraging.
It emphasises the importance of collaboration, experimentation, and perseverance in the entrepreneurial journey.
GNA