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Students from six secondary schools showcased their social enterprise projects in the annual VM EnRich Social Enterprise in Secondary School Expo, competing for a share of JMD $450,000 in additional seed funding to grow their business ideas. The expo was held on Thursday, April 16, at the Summit Hotel in St. Andrew.  

Through the VM EnRich Programme implemented by the VM Foundation, secondary school students are equipped with practical skills in entrepreneurship, financial literacy, leadership and other skills, and empowered with training and funding to develop social enterprises that seek to combat issues faced by their schools and surrounding communities. 

For the third consecutive year, Foga Road High School from Clarendon walked away as the top pitch competition winner, securing JMD $200,000 in seed funding for their growing enterprise, Schoolaz Hand Shield.

The project began with the production of organic hand sanitisers in 2024, and has now expanded to include hand soaps, all targeted at improving access to affordable, skin-friendly hygiene products within their school and surrounding community. 

Taveene Feron, President of the School’s VM Enrich Club, shared: “The problem which inspired us was that we noticed that students were not really practising proper handwashing hygiene, and there were a lot of harmful soaps that were causing skin irritation, so we decided to start with hand sanitisers with natural ingredients, and now, this year, we expanded to making hand soaps.”

The products are made from natural ingredients, including fever grass and charcoal and are sold to students and individuals in the surrounding community, for profit which is contributed to school activities. With the additional funding received, the students plan to strengthen their current products and explore the production of organic shampoos and lotions for the next school year. 

Taking second place in the competition was Hampton School from St. Elizabeth, which was awarded JMD $100,000 to further develop its environmentally focused enterprise. Through their upcycling project, “Treasured Trash”, students are transforming plastic bottles, bottle caps and glass into jewellery and décor items, addressing waste disposal issues while creating income-generating products.

The top three was completed by St. Elizabeth Technical High School, earning JMD $75,000 for its project aimed at purifying water from the school’s well for sale, with proceeds earmarked to contribute to the repair of the school’s gymnasium.

Reflecting on the overall impact of the programme, Samantha Charles, the CEO of the VM Foundation, shared: “Beyond the social enterprise ideas, what excites me most are the skills being developed along the way — entrepreneurship, financial literacy, leadership, teamwork, to name a few. We’ve made a deliberate effort to include these elements as part of the VM EnRich training programme. These are skills that stay with our participants long after the programme ends and continue to shape how they think, how they lead, and how they approach life. We are not just supporting projects, but we are helping to shape mindsets and empowering young people with the tools to see themselves as problem-solvers, as innovators, and leaders.”

It’s a sentiment shared by Stephan Simpson, Teacher at the Foga Road High School, who noted that the students have grown tremendously through their involvement in VM EnRich. “A lot of the students started out being shy and not knowing anything about business, and now their entrepreneurial skills are being developed, and they have started to think like entrepreneurs. If they see an idea, they will bring it to the facilitators and whenever they hear about school events being held, they are always aiming to make products to sell there. They have grown a lot in terms of developing a passion for learning about new skills and researching new project ideas, and even in their overall confidence.” 

Beyond the top schools, the expo also featured three other innovative, community-driven ideas, with each of the schools receiving JMD $25,000 in support to continue developing their projects. 

The initiatives included Enid Bennett High School from St. Catherine with “Tomato Gold,” tackling market gluts by creating value-added products from tomatoes, like chutney, jam and juice. They were joined by the Salvation Army School for the Blind from Kingston, whose “Vision in Harmony” project uses music as a tool for social and psychological development, and Wycliffe Martin High School from St. Mary with “Bloom and Breeze,” a plant nursery enterprise built through partnerships with local farmers.  

Currently, the VM EnRich Programme is active in 11 schools across Kingston, St. Elizabeth, Trelawny, Clarendon, St. Ann, St. Catherine and St. Mary, continuing to expand its reach and impact. 

Adding to the energy of the day, students were also engaged through interactive sessions in AI and robotics, facilitated by the team at PreeLabs Limited — a fitting complement to a programme that is not only building businesses, but preparing future-ready thinkers and creators.