UNWIND FROM FAIRMOUNT HIGH SCHOOL IN WESTERN CAPE, CROWNED JA SOUTH AFRICA NATIONAL WINNERS
Gauteng, Johannesburg, 5 October 2023
Junior Achievement South Africa Company of the Year Competition, is proud to announce the 2023 winning team UnWind. The winning team hail from Fairmount High School, Grassy Park in the Western Cape .
Unwind took part in the six months JA Company programme which saw over forty teams across the country in grades 10 – 11 run their business from the learnings for the last six months. Their innovative idea to create a protector for cell phone charges has sold over 220 units already! Their impressive idea was an easy sell to the panel of expert judges and will see the winning team represent South Africa at the JA Company of the Year, regional finals taking place in Kigali Rwanda.
Impressing a panel of expert judges, “ We are so excited to be crowned as the national title to take our business to a regional platform and represent our country”, says Given from Fairmount High School.
The second prize went to Eco Spark from Kwazulu Natal who were also crowned as the winners for the Public Choice Award, the Project Management Award.
This year’s theme for the COY Competition 2023 is Breaking Barriers. The theme saw teams overcoming challenges, pushing boundaries, and defying limitations in pursuit of excellence. It encapsulates the spirit of entrepreneurship and innovation, where Africa’s budding entrepreneurs strive to break through obstacles and hurdles to achieve success in their business ventures.
All winning teams walk away with a cash prize of over R 40 000. Thanks to fundraising by partners inspired by the entrepreneurial spirit by the provincial finalists’.
The contributions by funders like Zurich South Africa, three of our Board Members the Marketing Manager at YFM over the last three days will go a long in steering the teams in scaling their businesses, says Bonga Khumalo, National Programmes Manager. We’d like to give a special thank you to Zurich South Africa for funding all the seven categories.
The COY competition creates a platform for our youth to interact in a competitive but safe environment, whilst fostering public speaking, team building and problem-solving skills and collaboratively come up with business ideas that could move our economy forward.
Last year’s winners, team Aqua Pure, proudly raised the South African flag, where they won the Best Project Management award.
The COY sponsored by Citi Foundation and the Project Management Institute Education Foundation (PMIEF) bank has seen many of our participants throughout the years go on to refine their business ideas and lead their own businesses.
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