2023 - 2024 Participating Schools and Pitch Presentations
"We, students, feel more business savvy and involved in a real world activity. We are able to work through the logistics of quality and deadlines. The YEP, Young Entrepreneurship Program, allowed us to get hands-on experience toward CTE, Career and Technical Education, and future careers. Our experience in the entrepreneurship program has allowed us to be more involved in the different functions of our school at Aiea High. We have worked with our other Academy Pathways, such as Hospitality and Tourism to help with advertising, the Culinary Academy to assist in the production of our tea, Natural Resources to help maintain the lemongrass on campus, and Hawaiian Studies for appropriate logos that are respectful to the culture. Further, we gained appreciation towards the presence of agriculture in our community. Additionally, the requirements such as pitches, quality assurance, and TEAM-WORK brought us together. Through this process we incorporated the newest AHS Vision, ‘Aiea High School graduates are lifelong learners, who embody Integrity, Grit, and Ohana as stewards of their community’ and AHS Mission, ‘Aiea High School provides all students with college and career exploration opportunities in a rigorous and nurturing environment.’ ”
The business name “Da Local Stuff” expresses our sense of place, our culture and who we are. Our products reflect our island. By choosing agriculture products like Taro, Pineapple and Starfruit and Macadamia Nuts; we represent the variety of ethnicities that exist in our communities. These flavors incorporate a sense of unity and contribute to our “melting pot” of kama’aina cuisine. Creation of our local sale items represents our community, our island and allows us to unify all students and those who purchase our product to have a sense of the islands, and especially of “Maui No Ka Oi”!
H.P. Baldwin Pitch Presentation
Castle High School (Natural Resources)
We are part of the Ho’oulu Opio Agriculture Program at James B.Castle High School and our focus is on sustainable farming practices. Our product’s ingredients are 100% sourced from our farm, grown right here on campus. YEP has given us a taste of entrepreneurship, everything from the marketing aspect to creating the product ourselves. The YEP has also given us the opportunity to have our business class collaborate with our program.
Castle HS: Pitch Presentation
Our inaugural line of health and beauty products is meticulously crafted from ingredients grown in our very own class garden, tended to by the hands of our students. Each product reflects our commitment to sustainability and environmental stewardship, nurturing our land with every harvest. Driven by the vibrant energy of our youth, Lau Nahele is nurtured by a team of thirteen dedicated students, including a core group of five shaping our decisions. Each product is meticulously crafted from start to finish, reflecting the dedication and passion of our small community.
When you purchase Lau Nahele products, you're not just buying skincare; you're supporting a small, isolated community and experiencing the exclusivity of products crafted with care from Hana. Each purchase directly contributes to the growth and empowerment of our community.
Kahuku High and Intermediate School
At Kahuku High and Intermediate School, our students come from a collection of small, rural towns. Agriculture is a large part of our lives and surroundings. YEP has allowed the students to bring to life ideas and solutions by providing students with necessary financial and professional resources. YEP has also provided the framework that has taught our students the skills necessary to bring a product to market and build a successful business.
Kahuku Pitch Presentation
With all the work we are doing on our campus garden, we initially failed to notice a great opportunity in front of us. While we worked hard to maintain and grow our Kaimuki Middle School Garden with fruits and vegetables, Butterfly Pea was growing abundantly. We had our first harvest in the fall of 2022. With the help of YEP, a small but mighty group of middle school students are ready to take a unique and refreshing product to you all - and its grown right here in the heart of Kaimuki.
Ka'u High and Pahala Elementary
Ka'u High & Pahala Elementary School is a small, rural, K-12 school, founded in 1881. It is located in the southern district of Ka'u in the town of Pahala on the island of Hawai’i. With deep roots in Hawaiian culture, we cherish the land and the community very much. KHPES formally began the Entrepreneurship Academy to encourage students to pursue their interests in academics and careers. Part of that encouragement includes providing opportunities for students to develop and market and agriculture related products. The YEP program has helped and motivated students to leave an impact on the community with their products. Our product is chocolate chip cookies with Ka’ū grown macadamia nuts. The inspiration that inspired this product is being able to share Ka’ū grown mac nuts and a recipe that was passed down in my family.
Lau 'ai ke Ola is made up of about 75 high school students in grades 9-12, as well as Future Farmers of America Club members. Lau 'ai ke Ola gives our Kauai High School students real business knowledge in cash crop and value-added products through production, sales and marketing while serving to make our island sustainable both now and in the future.
Kaua'i Pitch Presentation
Kea’au Cougar Country Delights. We wanted to highlight and represent farm living in the rural country town of Kea’au
Making money is not our objective, we just want to make something people will savor. It's just the feeling of selling something that others will enjoy makes us feel very happy.
YU Salty is the name we chose for our product. The name was chosen because it plays on the local phrase meaning “Why you mad?”.Creating a student led product which helps to both provide experience and funding to school programs. Being able to support local and provide for our community as well.
Mililani HS Pitch Presentation for YU Salty
We want to support and give back to Hawaii's local agricultural industry by highlighting cherished local flavors in a unique style. A revamp of a classic treat seemed like the best way to do this as it also makes macarons seem more accessible or targeted towards local communities.
Pearl City Pitch Presentation
Our high school is an academy school and is comprised of the Freshman, Health, Industry & Technology, Public Service, and Arts & Communications Academies. Each academy focuses on career pathways related to their respective fields. On our team, we have students from the Public Service and Arts & Communication academies. Each member of our team brings something special and different to the table. Our school's mascot is the warrior and we wanted our product to connect to the personality of a warrior with scents.
Waipahu High School's Academy of Natural Resources (ANR) prepares all students to become environmentally conscious citizens who practice good environmental stewardship throughout their lifetime and actively contribute to a sustainable world. Waipahu ANR students have enjoyed participating in the Young Entrepreneurs Program over the past 6 years creating products such as healing skin salve, sea salt seasoning, chili pepper water, and mamaki tea. Our students are excited to bring to fruition our naturally dyed tie-dye bags in culmination of our learning about local agriculture and waste reduction. We hope that our tie-dye designs remind us all to choose nonviolence towards our 'aina today and everyday.
Our business is a story about our science club and the culmination of years of work building facilities to teach students about opportunities in food sustainability (greenhouse gardening) and technology based farming (high performance nutrient Film Technique (NFT) systems. Each year our alumnus leaves behind the legacy, passion, and commitment for next year’s science club such that we never have to start at the very beginning but instead, pursue new opportunities where we left off at the end of the school year. Through continuing to pursue new opportunities, like starting a business, we are creating an identity. Not for only ourselves, but for the club as well. This allows us to sustain the club through marketing to teachers, which opens endless opportunities for students to learn new skills for many years to come.
Washington MS Pitch Presentation_1