Bi-annual North of the Silk Road Market earns huge success

Northern Adelaide Senior College hosted their bi-annual rooftop market featuring cottage crafts created by North of the Silk Road students (NOTSR) last Tuesday.

Raising $787, NOTSR sold cottage crafts and personal items where all proceeds are reinvested into the course.

“We’re spending most of the year making candles, soaps, bath bombs, tie-dye shirts, silk scarves and everything,” says Courtney Jones, a NOTSR mentor.

“Then we create a market and try to make a profit so we can make more products for the rest of the year and next.”

Sally Bain, North of the Silk Road teacher, says that the market provides real-life experience of actually selling the products that they’ve made.

“It gives them the experience of how they could possibly run a business from home and give them some sustainability with their income if they can’t get a job in the real world,” says Sally.

“They learn how to do stocktaking, they work out the costings of each product according to what the base materials were in making the product, the hours involved, and then the selling of products.

“It also develops their customer skills which is all of those soft skills that they need in life.”

The restrictions of COVID19 meant that NOTSR students had to adapt to the restrictions regarding what they made and how to run the event.

“It was an interesting market because we had to put in place the COVID19 restrictions, so that was another layer that they had to think through and to actually set up all the precautions,” says Sally.

“We decided because of all the restrictions with COVID, students had to create a lot of the products by themselves,” says Sally.

“We also looked at what gaps there were, and hand sanitisers was one of them. The other was soaps as students were able to make them by themselves rather than in pairs.

“The other one we brought in because of the restrictions was the macramé because they were able to do that individually.

“The market was very successful.”

The subject is one of our most popular courses at NASC for its unique hands-on collaborative approach to learning how to run a small, personal business.

Denise A., a previous NOTSR student, made the decision to join NASC based on the experience and advice of her daughter.

“It actually started with depression. I needed to get out of the house, and my daughter was going here. So I thought I’d give it a try and it was the best thing I ever did,” says Denise.

“It did me well. I was crying all the time in the bedroom, and when I come here I hardly cry.

“After people telling me what it was like, and my daughter saying that leadership, silk and sewing would help me and it did. I got really good friends out of it too. I love it.”

Denise is not alone at being inspired to join NASC by their children.

Elaine T., a current student of NOTSR, had decided to enrol at NASC because her sons attended in previous years.

“Originally came here because my boys went here and then I thought I’d stay on and complete my ATAR. Just to complete something I didn’t complete when I was younger,” says Elaine.

“I love it here. It’s good. It’s not just Sally, but all the teachers are pretty good. There’s a good dynamic, it doesn’t matter how old or young you are, everyone gets along.”

Want to learn what it takes to run a small cottage business? 2021 enrolments are now open. Call Northern Adelaide Senior College on (08) 7285 1600 to book your place.