There's a new kids' market in town

by Keli'i Akina, Ph.D., President / CEO, Grassroot Institute of Hawaii

Want to feel inspired about the future of liberty and entrepreneurship in Hawaii — and get in some Christmas shopping at the same time?

I suggest you go next Saturday to the Children’s Entrepreneur Market at the Pearlridge Farm Lovers Market in Aiea, which is a project intended to help children learn about entrepreneurship, innovation and leadership through hands-on experience.

These children’s markets are a project of the Libertas Network based in Utah, whose founder, Connor Boyack, is the creator of the wildly popular “Tuttle Twins” book and cartoon series aimed at teaching both kids and parents about the values of a free society.

At a luncheon event in 2023 sponsored by the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii, Connor explained to me that he began writing the “Tuttle Twins” series because he was struggling to find books that could teach these values to his own children.

The success of his books and subsequent cartoon series has demonstrated that it’s never too early to start passing on the lessons of freedom and responsibility.

As powerful as those books are, however, real-life experience can be just as educational. So it seems like a natural next step to encourage kids to take on the challenges of starting their own businesses.

The adult organizers of the Children’s Entrepreneur Market provide educational materials, venues and other resources to the kids, leaving them to decide what to sell, put together their own inventories, operate their booths, interact with customers and handle their money.

It’s a great way to teach Hawaii keiki about making their way in the world as independent, responsible adults.

The Children’s Entrepreneur Market is open once a month. If you know a budding child entrepreneur who would like to participate, the registration period is still open for the January and February markets.

The registration period is already closed for this month’s market, which will be from 8 a.m. to noon next Saturday, Dec. 20 — just in time for Christmas.

I hope you can stop by and join in on the fun.