By Juliet Aguiar DUGBARTEY, Takoradi
Archbishop Porter Girls Senior High School (SHS) has emerged winners at the maiden edition of the ‘Trash to Treasure’ art competition held in Takoradi.
The Trash to Treasure Art Competition, is to promote the artistic talents of students in SHS, and ensure good environmental practices.
With this competition, the students were challenged to create unique work of arts using waste materials such as plastic bottles, cans and clipboards among others.
It is a project of the African Effectual Entrepreneurship Initiative (AEEI), spearheaded by the Social Entrepreneurship Hub in Takoradi through its Nnoboa Space initiative, Society for Effectual Action, USA, and Scio Network, Germany.
Also, it is 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 was a success, fostering environmental awareness and showcasing the incredible talent and innovative spirit of Ghana’s young minds”, said Mr. Romeo A. B. Akoto, a member of the organising team.
The overall objective was empowering students to become champions of sustainability and the circular economy through effectual entrepreneurship.
The Jury – Angela Owusu Antwi, Yaw Andoh Mensah, Lanto Azasime and Desmond Atitianti – played a crucial role in the maiden Trash 2 Treasure competition’s success.
As experts, they also took the opportunity to encourage students to take their lessons seriously and master their talent, since the future is bright for them as art students.
Dr. Kwabena Obiri Yeboah, Emmanuel Nomafo, Dr. Abigail Amoako Kayser, Jim Zuffoletti and Dr. Brian Kayser from the African Effectual Entrepreneurship Initiative together extended their heartfelt gratitude to heads of the participating institutions, heads and teachers of the visual art departments in the participating schools and, most importantly, students who made the inaugural event a resounding success.
The team commended students’ dedication and ingenuity, which were instrumental in making the inaugural event successful.
The next exciting phase will see the project expanding its reach, welcoming even more schools from across Ghana to join the ‘Trash to Treasure’ challenge.
Mr. Peter Schaub-Nzoley, a teacher from Ahantaman Girls’ Senior High School – one the participating schools, extended appreciation to all team-members from the Social Entrepreneurship Hub for providing a platform for students to showcase their talents.
He said: “I believe today’s programme has given all of us rich experience from the participating schools and we hope to see more of these programmes in future”.
Ahantaman Girls Senior High School took the first runner-up position while St. John’s School took home the third prize.
The event – supported by Genial Sozial, Germany – also saw other participating schools, such as the Fijai Senior High School and St. Mary’s Boys Senior High School, displaying creativity and a deep sense of commitment to sustainability, taking home consolation prizes.
In a related development, the AEEI as part of this project earlier organised a workshop for the teachers to brainstorm on strategies and share ideas aimed at shaping future 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 and covers various topics – including effectual decision-making; opportunity identification and creation; and resource leveraging.
It emphasised the importance of collaboration, experimentation and perseverance in the entrepreneurial journey.
