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Goal 8 - Decent Work & Economic GrowthSilly Sponges - Youth Enterprise
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Big Idea:
Youth employment around the world is on the decline, with the global pandemic making matters even worse. Having young people entering the workforce is essential for the economy, but many have inaccurate or unrealistic views of the world of work. This class project is designed to give them an idea of what it takes creating and running a business, while improving their teamwork, problem solving and communication skills.
Type of Activity:
This is a long term class based project.
Who is it for?
Ages 11 to 18.
What do I need?
Resources depend on what kind of business(es) your class would like to run.
How long does it take?
Depends on the business.
Introduction
This project is meant to give young people first hand experience of creating and running a small business.
For the sake of explaining, I'll use the car wash that my sixth-form class ran. However, the possibilities are near endless. Cake sale, card making, ice cream stand, school newspaper, etc.
To begin with, let the class know that they will be starting a business and that they will be in charge of all aspects of running it - from deciding what it will do, to organising roles and meetings to advertising and dealing with the finances. Offer support and guidance, but as much as possible allow the students to work freely and learn from the consequences of their decisions.
For the sake of explaining, I'll use the car wash that my sixth-form class ran. However, the possibilities are near endless. Cake sale, card making, ice cream stand, school newspaper, etc.
To begin with, let the class know that they will be starting a business and that they will be in charge of all aspects of running it - from deciding what it will do, to organising roles and meetings to advertising and dealing with the finances. Offer support and guidance, but as much as possible allow the students to work freely and learn from the consequences of their decisions.
Depending on the age and size of your class, you may want to split into smaller groups, with potentially each group running their own small business.
The first jobs to complete are deciding on what kind of business its going to be. What is being sold and who are the customers? Then they need to discuss who will do what.
For our car wash project we had - a chairman - a secretary/minute keeper - an equipment manager - an IT specialist - a treasurer. These roles will depend on the business and the class. It might be necessary to have multiple people working at one role/ have deputies and assistants in place.
The first jobs to complete are deciding on what kind of business its going to be. What is being sold and who are the customers? Then they need to discuss who will do what.
For our car wash project we had - a chairman - a secretary/minute keeper - an equipment manager - an IT specialist - a treasurer. These roles will depend on the business and the class. It might be necessary to have multiple people working at one role/ have deputies and assistants in place.
What next
Then comes the process of creating the business. It will need a name and a logo and promotional material to get it off the ground. Weekly, student-run meetings should take place, led by the chairman with minutes being taken, where decisions and next steps regarding the business can be discussed.
Students should contact school admin themselves if needed: for example, my group needed access to an outside tap for the car wash so emailed the business manager and grounds team to arrange this.
Students should contact school admin themselves if needed: for example, my group needed access to an outside tap for the car wash so emailed the business manager and grounds team to arrange this.
Finally
When it is time to launch the business (this should be the students' decision also) and money starts (hopefully) coming in, the treasurer needs to keep a detailed record of the finances and a group decision needs to be reached on what to do with the money.
This project is very flexible and can be tailored to the needs of almost any class. As long as the young people are experiencing the work and decision-making involved in running a business, then almost anything goes!
This project is very flexible and can be tailored to the needs of almost any class. As long as the young people are experiencing the work and decision-making involved in running a business, then almost anything goes!
Find out more
Exploring Youth Entrepreneurship - https://sdgs.un.org/sites/default/files/2020-07/Youth_Entrepreneurship.pdf
