Behind every great business is a first sale. That’s where Launch Pad was born. An opportunity for high school students taking business studies to sell their product at a market, but this time, a youth market where the vendors are only youth.

Through the collaboration between Rangitoto College, Mairangi Arts Centre and ANCAD, this idea came to life. On Saturday the 9th of May, more than 40 Rangitoto students came down to the Mairangi Village and Mairangi Arts Centre to set up their stalls and their products. The products ranged from fresh fruit juice, to dog treats, to pipe-cleaner flowers and even to marble cutting boards. For many of the students, Launch Pad was their first taste of what it truly means to run a business. They learned how to price their products, communicate with customers and to appreciate the amount of work that goes into creating, launching and selling a product.

ANCAD’s support and impact comes in many ways, both directly and indirectly. Members of Bays Youth Council, an initiative supported by ANCAD since 2020, showed up to help and support this youth- focused event from the set up to the pack down. The volunteers were on the ground, lending their hands wherever needed and even hosted a small engagement stall where they taught youth how to make origami tulips. ANCAD also played a crucial role in the planning and communication of the event, liaising with Mairangi Arts Centre as well as Rangitoto College. The event is definitely a success in itself, however the ongoing impact is something else that needs to be highlighted. Launch Pad demonstrates the need for youth led initiatives in the community as well as the impact of interdisciplinary collaboration between arts, commerce and youth.

Beyond the sales and sold out stores, the real impact of Launch Pad is measured in mindsets and growth. Students left not just with profits and a first- hand experience of business, but also with a deeper belief in their own capabilities and the knowledge that they are backed by a community that showed up to support them every step of the way.

From the excitement of selling out a product to those behind the work preparation, these small yet defining moments illuminate the shared hope among every organisation involved that Launch Pad will return, bigger, better and with even more schools and students taking part in the future. Launch Pad serves as a stepping stone to help youth enterprises and young people to have the chance to step up, show up and launch their ideas into reality!

Written by Rachel Gu (ANCAD Youth intern)