My colleague from Slovakia, Roman, summarises his JA-YE experiences. Enjoy! Jeannette

Junior Achievement – HP Responsible Business Award – Example Slovakia

How I participated in the JA - YE – HP Responsible Business Award programme

When I found the invitation to participate in the HP Responsible Business Award programme in my company mail in January, I was surprised and did not have any idea about what it was all about. However, focus on the education of young people and the education system as such made me think. For many years I have worked at the university; my children attend primary and secondary schools and therefore I can keep a good track of education in general. We’ve got used to the fact that our school system is built on a principle of punishing mistakes. When we were little and learned to walk, we used to fall. People around us encouraged us, saying: “Nothing happened, never mind, it will heal up, do not be afraid!” So we fell and cried and then we stood up and tried it again. And suddenly we got it. We learned from our mistakes and today we walk and only a few people remember their first tumbles.  When we go to school, our trials and tribulations are ’marked’. There is nothing wrong with the marking process as such, but they are noted … JA-YE is interesting because it uses an education system built on a different principle.

Junior Achievement (JA) - What does it mean?

JA provides young people in Slovakia with above standard economic education through practical programmes. Thanks to the interconnection of an entrepreneurial sector and professional approach, the students have the opportunity to participate in ethical decision-making and orientation in a free market economy, even before entering the working process. The programmes support economic and business thinking and offer preventative solutions for youth employment. I found out that, for three years in succession, HP and Junior Achievement Young Enterprise (JA-YE) – the biggest student network focused on business education – had organised the HP Responsible Business Competition. Secondary students participating in the programme ‘Applied Economy’ learn how to manage a business responsibly, simulating a real company with everything that belongs to it.

Student Company Fair

The Student Company Fair is a climax of the work created by the student companies within the education programme ‘Applied Economy’. For students, it is a unique opportunity to present the results of the work that they had been doing for the past months: existing business activities, products, services, approaches to company management, selected marketing strategies and financial management. The competition has several categories and includes a special category awarded by Hewlett-Packard– the HP Responsible Business Award – an award for the student company that carries out responsible business.

My participation in the Fair

This year I had the privilege of participating in the Student Company Fair as a member of the jury. I have participated in several fairs in Slovakia as well as abroad. However, I did not know what to expect from a Student Company Fair. But I had big expectations.  The fact that 150 young people were willing to work outside their obligatory school subjects was an indication of their enthusiasm, passion, new ideas and solutions. 28 student companies from central and eastern Slovakia presented skills that cannot be easily achieved at ordinary schools. These included the basics of marketing, management, economics, wages accounting and taxes. They also demonstrated their presentation skills, winning support for their own business intents. They showed leadership and - the most important thing - they showed how young businessmen can discover a new world, assume responsibility not only for their own lives, but also for the lives of their close friends, and how they can perceive activities in a broader context - in the context of school, town, country or on a global level.  The participants presented a broad scale of activities, services and products. This year student companies organised social events, entertainment programmes, programmes for elder people, Christmas, St. Nicolas programmes, angel letters. The assortment of services included an operation of school buffets, laminating works, organising sport and tourist trips, advertising and decorative items (e.g. arranging t-shirts, paintings on glass and bottles). In the area of products we could see many souvenirs, paperweights made of coloured stones, decorative items made of secondary materials, paper, wood, photo frames and coloured stones. There were also environmentally friendly products: a press for PET bottles, products from used paper.  At the Fair we could also taste sweets and drinks. The broad spectrum included artistic activities – we heard guitars and singing; we saw dance performances and an extraordinary interest was taken in an original movie about a young drug addict returning to ordinary life. 

HP Responsible Business Award - awarded to the company EQUALITE

The HP Responsible Business Award was awarded to the company EQUALITE from Dubnica nad Váhom, which introduced a prototype of simple equipment intended for the multiple reduction in volume of PET bottles. There are already similar products on the market. But this solution is interesting because the product itself has been made of waste material. A strong focus on ecology was also presented by another product – a hand-knitted basket made of waste paper. By its size and design, this basket is suitable for storing small items, such as sweets. The company captured our attention by its professional and responsible approach to business.  The creation of their business vision, strategy and philosophy was inspired by 14 management principles according to Henry Fayol. Right from the beginning they presented their business in an international context.  They actively participated in the project ’Global Active Schools’ - a partnership between organisations in seven countries (Austria, Czech Republic, England, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Thailand). The aim of this project is to combine the unique potential of schools in solving current world problems.  I am convinced that representatives of the company EQUALITE have an opportunity to represent the principles of responsible business with dignity on an international level.

My impressions

Our company HP actively participates in programmes called JA-YE. I think that, as consultants, we have a big responsibility to guide our future businessmen and employees to focus on broad IT opportunities in the company and the extraordinary meaning of socially responsible behaviour in this area.

Final reflection

After the Fair I had mixed feelings. On one side I had a very good feeling that there are still many enthusiasts among teachers who are willing to devote themselves to teaching young people beyond their ordinary obligations. There are still some people who consider their job as their mission. You might say: “It is their job, they get money for it”. It’s true. But the people concerned also know that social recognition on the lowest level and economic recognition corresponds with social prestige. After the Fair I realised that urgent changes must be made. We - individuals, employees of successful companies, managers of the same companies, society, political parties and government – can make changes. It's not just about money. It is about our culture, our attitude towards ourselves and the problems that surround us.

Roman Kazicka, Solution Architect, HP Software & Solutions, HP Slovakia