October 3, 2016
Our annual Vision Trip provides the opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of TFFT’s mission, programming, and reach. During the trip, visitors can see the power of our commitment and what sets TFFT apart. We welcome any interested party to visit Tanzania on our Vision Trip, and we hope that you will return home as a committed partner. This year, five dedicated supporters met the Tanzania team and spent time with our scholars. To provide an opportunity for the team, scholars, and trip participants to spend time together in a creative and educational way, TFFT organized a SuitUp competition.
The SuitUp competition is meant to encourage creativity and innovation amongst the participants. This year, we hosted the competition at Arusha Modern School for five TFFT Scholars and 25 other students. Students worked in groups of 6 to design a shoe for Nike and create marketing strategies for the new prototype. Each team designed a shoe and presented why their shoe is unique, who is the target market, and how best they can advertise the shoe to the market in front of a panel of judges. The students were also identified a celebrity endorsement to advertise their product to the market and acted out an advertisement of their product. Our Vision Trip participants played the role of coaching each team of students. At the end of the competition, a panel of three judges determined the winners based on criteria including creativity, participation, and product presentation.
This was an enriching opportunity because TFFT Scholars and other students at Arusha Modern School worked together in mixed ability and gender groups. Students from the junior secondary and high school worked together. We were able observe meaningful interactions of the students within the groups and with their coaches.
One student from Arusha Modern was especially inspiring because after hearing about the competition from his school principal, he went home and requested that his parents to ask the school on his behalf to join the competition, as he had not been initially selected to take part.
The competition was eye-opening, with each team showing how creativity and excitement.
Each participant received a certificate of completion. The winners and the first and second runners up received a winners’ certificate and a cash award. This was motivational for the students, and when they were given an opportunity to speak, they thanked TFFT for the creative opportunity and expressed interest in future competitions in order to practice and improve their business skills. The Principal, Mr. Jeremiah Laizer, requested that TFFT expand the competition to include the whole school in the future. According to him, many students were interested in and willing to take part.
TFFT is grateful for the support from the Vision Trip to make the SuitUp competition successful and also for providing the young minds with an opportunity to use their spare time in a meaningful way. The students not only practiced working together, but also used their free time to collaborate with others to create products that can improve their own lives and that of their communities.
Arusha Modern School and TFFT believe that this is an activity with the potential to scale up and bring more scholars and students together to improve their creativity.
We look forward to another SuitUp competition to see many more students and schools participate. Who knows, maybe a novel idea will come up that could surprise innovators and entrepreneurs in Tanzania and across the world! A young and innovative mind can come up with interesting and successful ideas when provided with the opportunity.
