The Lion Young Enterprise Scheme (YES) is a part of Abirami Kabilan’s Year 13 Business Studies curriculum. It’s a year-long nationwide programme where students get to start up their own businesses.

One of their few extra programmes that students can apply for to deepen their business experience is BizVenture Japan, which gives Kiwi and Japenese students experience in forming business solutions that address the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

“When I saw the opportunity pop up on the YES newsletter, my initial thoughts were, ‘Hey that’s interesting, but I don’t have the courage to do it,'” Kabilan, 17, says.

“I realised that if I don’t step out of my comfort zone, I’ll never grow as a person.”

Kabilan was one of 40 students selected from 4700 who applied to participate. They were given three of the UN’s sustainable development goals to choose from – poverty, teenage well-being or gender equality.

Her team, made up of Benjamin Young from Tauranga Boys’ College, Hamish Robinson from Taradale High School, Daniel Blight from Waimea College and Kaiah Sherriff from Southland Girls, chose teenage well-being.

“Teenage well-being is pretty huge problem in Japan,” Kabilan says. “UNICEF reports that out of 41 OCED countries, Japan is 37th for children’s mental health according to factors such as life satisfaction and suicide rates.”

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