Three young Bentley Primary School students have turned an idea to help local children have fun, explore and be kind to others into a winning community project.
Hazel Copeland, 9, Indigo O’Neil, 7, and Ruby Copeland, 6, took home $730 after pitching their idea for free kids activity packs at a special Bentley and St James edition of Vic Park Soup.
The girls were among four groups to pitch community ideas on the night, but it was their proposal for three different activity packs that won the audience vote.
Their idea includes an Arty Kids Pack with sidewalk chalk, stencils, a sketch pad and a map of local street; a Nature Adventurer Pack with a magnifying glass, nature bingo, native seeds and leaf rubbing activities; and a Kind Kids Pack with stickers, compliment cards and a bingo card of kind tasks.
The packs are planned to be made available for free to local children through Bentley Primary School, Hillview Hub and Heartwood Community Centre, with People Helping People also being approached.
Indigo said the idea came after her mum, Zoe, told her about Vic Park Soup.
“My mum told me about Soup and I told her I had an idea and asked if kids could do it,” she said.
“I had a few ideas and this was one of them. Then I wanted to tell my best friends Hazel and Ruby and they came up with some more of the idea and we worked it out together.”
The girls said they wanted the packs to give other children something enjoyable to do.
“I know how it is to feel bored and have nothing to do so we think we can help kids be happy,” Hazel said.
“The packs are for kids who don’t have someone to play with.”
Ruby added: “I think it’s a good idea because it’s kind.”
The three friends wrote and rehearsed a presentation of up to four minutes, created visual aids and took questions from the audience after their pitch.
Indigo said she was excited when she saw the stage and microphone.
“We had practiced together and it wasn’t scary because Ruby and Hazel and I were up there together,” she said.
Not every audience question had an answer.
“We said ‘we have no clue’ to one of the questions and everyone laughed,” Indigo said.
Hazel said the question they struggled with was about money.
“I actually enjoyed answering the questions but the question about money, we had no idea,” she said.
Their parents helped where needed, but Zoe said much of the project and presentation came from the girls themselves.
She said the three spent an afternoon brainstorming, as Hazel led the drafting of the script before they decided who would speak about each part.
The parents became their practice audience and helped with some drawing and colouring.
Watching the girls take to the mi9crophone was “chaotic but fun”, Zoe said.
“It’s always a bit of a wildcard when you hand them a microphone,” she said.
Vic Park Soup MC Dave Lindner said the community pitching event has been running for well over a decade and is based on the Detroit Soup concept.
People pay $10 for soup and a vote before listening to four pitches for ideas intended to benefit the local community. The audience then votes, and the winning project receives the money collected from the attendees to help get the idea underway.
About 65 people attended the Bentley and St James event, with 73tickets sold.
Mr Lindner said children had pitched at Vic Park Soup on a couple of previous occasions.
He stated the girls’ proposal focused on activities around Bentley and St James while encouraging children to explore their local area.
“The way they presented their idea was collaborative, engaging and colourful,” he said.
“But, ultimately, them winning wasn’t decided by me – it was decided by everyone in the room casting their votes for their favourite idea.”
When the result was announced, the girls’ reaction was that of excitement.
The next job is turning the idea into actual packs.
Hazel and Ruby’s mum, Robyn, said the families would work with the children to price and source the materials and calculate how many packs could be made from the $730.
The girls want as much of the contents as possible to be reusable and are keen to put the packs together and help distribute them.
Some school friends have already offered to help.
Indigo said she was looking forward to seeing how many they could make, while Hazel was ready to begin shopping for supplies.
“Go to Officeworks and start getting the things for making the packs,” Hazel said.
And the project may not stop at three packs.
According to Zoe, Hazel has already come up with an idea for a fourth.
