Since 2021, GISS has been offering students in grades 3-7 a new extracurricular option, Social Entrepreneurship, offered by a local social enterprise Enterprising Kids. The premise for the program is to give students the opportunity to apply their skills and interests in the real world, real-world learning experiences that connect them to their community and industry, and provide them with future skills such as financial literacy, creativity and innovation, and global citizenship.
Period
- One semester, years 3-7, 2 lessons per week
Goals
- Development of entrepreneurial skills necessary for entrepreneurship – creativity, resilience, flexibility, planning, problem solving, critical and empathetic thinking
- Applying Design Thinking to solve real-world problems
- Demonstration of financial literacy (e.g. budgeting and analysis of financial performance indicators)
- Collaborate with industry experts and community organizations
- Developing an entrepreneurial mindset – seeing problems as opportunities, redefining failure as a tool for learning, being curious and motivated to improve the world, engaging in the world around it
- Demonstration of Global Citizenship – You consider all stakeholders using the People, Planet, Profit model.
- Demonstration of ethical reasoning skills (e.g. consumer responsibility)
- Identifying the UN Sustainable Development Goals
Program
The teams present their business ideas to the school management and the board for a starting capital of 20 AUD per student. Students use the Design Thinking process to interview people from the GISS community to find out what they see as the different problems and challenges facing young people. In 2022, they found that mental health, healthy lifestyles, school stress, waste, and the environment are major concerns of the GISS community.
With their start-up capital, they set up social enterprises to solve the problems identified. For example, the students created inspirational cookies, a cookie that contains a motivating positive message. The Smootheez, a healthy smoothie bar for busy teachers and students; the Golden Fundraisers, learning snacks with learning tips; and ACR Games, a koala rescue game that educates people about the problems of this currently endangered Australian national icon.
They work on creating their products, making prototypes that they test and refine before finally showcasing their products at the GISS School Market and selling their products during lunchtime in the semester. In the first half of 2022, three teams donated their impressive profits of $930AUD to Beyond Blue, Head Space and Waste Aid.
ACR Games continues to work with their industry consultant Steve from TinStar Games on their game and has managed to produce a working prototype, which they presented to WWF. WWF is considering possibly adopting the game as a product until further testing is conducted.
Students are very engaged in this program and volunteer during lunch break and after school hours. Having real-world problems to work on, with real deadlines and clients, is very motivating for students and without the limiting beliefs of adulthood, they present solutions that are unique and future-oriented.