Thursday June 9, 2023 3 Brooklin Town Crier The Brooklin Catalyst program held its Demo Day on May 27 with presentations by five youngsters who'd joined the Spring Kids Startup Workshops. These were created to offer a helpful and accelerated learning path for young people either already running their own businesses or attracted by the idea of doing so. The Catalyst program, launched last year, is supported by the Brooklin Optimist Club. The program was devised by local entrepreneur Bonnie Kao (Madison Living), who is passionate about helping young people succeed with their business ideas. She approached the Optimist Club with her vision which lead to its successful launch last month. Two workshops were held, offering guidance and a structured path of actions and considerations to help successfully launch a business. The Demo Day was the opportunity for each participant to show what they had achieved. Awarded prizes All participants received vouchers for treats from the Goodberry Cafe in Brooklin. In addition, first place was awarded $100 expense credit towards their business. Both both first and second place received Junior Vendor vouchers for a showcase table at the Durham Region Children's Business Fair in September. Third prize was awarded an admissions and ride-all-day pass to the Brooklin Spring Fair. Winners as follows: First Place - "Aha Creations" by Alexis Godden, age 14 Second Place - "Simply Slime" by Kayleigh Szawlowski, age 10 Third Place - "Jocelyn's Book Shoppe" by Jocelyn Stanley, age 9 Other participants: ● Caleb, 11, Dino Moddler ● Bethany, 9, Minor Details Judging was done by Jacki Turner (Write on Resumes), Rhonda Mulcahy (Regional Councillor of Whitby), Cameron McDonnell (Parkwood Estate National Historic Site), and Teresa Shaver (Business Advisory Centre Durham). For more information about upcoming events, programs, and to join the wait list for the Fall Startup Workshops, check the website: https://brooklinoptimist.org/ brooklin-catalyst Brooklin Catalyst Showcases Kids Startup Workshops Catalyst presenters and judges pose after the presentations. The winner, Alexis Gooden, is standing in the front row, far right