Unity College family market day shines a spotlight on learners’ talents
Unity College opened its doors to families and the wider community for its first Family Market Day, showcasing the creativity, entrepreneurial spirit and skills of learners in its vocational training centre.
Unity College, a special needs school, celebrated a milestone moment with its first-ever Family Market Day, bringing together learners, parents and community members to showcase the work done at its vocational training centre (VTC).
The market allowed parents to explore a variety of handmade products created by learners, including beauty products, beaded items, decoupage crafts and seedlings grown from the school’s vegetable garden.
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According to Unity College principal Janine Singh, the market day was designed to showcase the practical skills being developed through the school’s recently launched centre.
“We’ve launched the vocational training centre this year, which is aimed at our children aged 19 and above, to give them skills-based training in areas such as crafting, making and producing products, and growing vegetables from seeds to harvesting and then reselling them,” said Singh.
“So this whole event is meant to showcase to the community what the children are doing and get the community involved in the school.”
Departmental head of the centre and organisers of the market day, Avita Naidoo, said the market aims to open opportunities that are often unavailable to young adults with special needs.
“Today at Unity College, we have our first family market day in conjunction with the VTC get-together to expose the public and the community to what our kids are capable of.”
Naidoo said that every item on display had been created by the learners themselves.
The market day formed part of the centre’s broader goal of developing entrepreneurial and life skills among learners.
“Eventually, we want to get them to be their own entrepreneurs. Many of them are struggling academically, but when we look at the skill side of things, they are so talented with their hands. They can make amazing things and are gifted in so many other areas.
“This market day is a starting point. We’ve made our products, and now we’ve put them on sale to show the community what the children themselves have made.
They learn entrepreneurial skills in terms of money, understanding what something costs, what its value is and how to work with change, which is something they are going to have to do when they leave school.”
Naidoo called for community support for this initiative.
“The support is what we ask for the most. Come in, see what we are about, support us and see what our kids are capable of.”
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