In July 2013, High Tunstall College of Science in Hartlepool worked with Five Lamps’ MyBnk Project to introduce their year 10 business students to Social Enterprise through the Enterprise-in-a-Box programme
Enterprise-in-a-Box is the most popular programme for schools and colleges in the North East. The sessions provide a short sharp shock experience of letting young people run their own companies. It gives them hands-on experience using exclusive ethical tool-kits.
The ethical tool-kits range from seedboms, guerrilla gardening hand-grenade flower bombers, Made-in-Carcere (Italian; Made in prison) are up cycled waste textiles that would otherwise go to landfill and cause environmental problems and an African Prison Project CD by Condemned Choir in an Ugandan prison, the main aim of this CD is to raise money for human rights and legal aid.
As part of the challenge the students learnt about social enterprise and the skills to become a social entrepreneur. They also found about planning and running their own social enterprise including advertising, selling and record keeping. Other key aims of the project are for young people to be able to present back on their social enterprise experiences and also undertake self-reflection of skills learnt.
Tom, 14 said
“I thought it was good, creative and enterprising”
The next part of the challenge was for the teams to go off into the world with their tool-kits and started selling straight away using all the skills from the first session. These skills include negotiation, team work, problem-solving and tackling challenging customers head on.
The challenge was a real success and the 5 teams who took part managed to raise £120.50 by selling the tool-kits to other pupils, teachers and friends and family members.
Hunbal, 14 said
“It was good because you can help change the environment in Ugandan prisons…also you keep the profit”
The sessions had a positive impact on the students: 93% improvement in their understanding of what social enterprise is; 79% improvement in their ability to work out expected profit for a business; 86% improvement in their confidence in taking on responsibility and 100% improvement in their intention to set up their own business in the future.
Five lamps’ MyBnk project offer Enterprise education as well as Financial Inclusion and are all suited to tie in with many areas of the curriculum including Maths, English, Business Studies, PGCE, Work Related Learning and many more such as PSHEE.