Spending a week away from home on a boot camp with students from all over Auckland took Annette Kaitapu out of her comfort zone.
 
The boot camp provided students doing the Lion Foundation Young Enterprise programme with opportunities to network and learn from businesspeople. Run by Massey University, it blended workshops that explained business concepts, with business site visits. The approach developed students’ business knowledge and skills.
 
Through the Rising Foundation, Annette has been lucky enough to do an Outward Bound course at Anakiwa (her favourite place!). This course includes the requirement to spend a day and a night in the outdoors, by yourself. She says being away from home on the Massey Boot Camp was a different kind of challenge – maybe a bit more comfortable, but also requiring courage.
 
“Each day we’d get into teams and visit a company. When we got back, we’d discuss the experience within our teams. We then had to develop a presentation about the company to present to the other teams.”
 
Some of the businesses involved were HP New Zealand, Sovereign, BNZ, Jucy World, Chelsea Sugar, Air New Zealand, Fonterra, Colliers, Pita Pit and KFC.
 
Some of the business skills developed included:

• How to sell yourself

• How to startup a business

• Becoming better at Public Speaking

 
Each night there were social activities including a Master Chef competition, Games Night and a Fireside Talent Show.
 
Through her participation in the boot camp, Annette has been awarded a $1000 scholarship toward study at Massey University.
 
It’s great to see our students taking advantage of these extra learning and networking opportunities!