STEM Education in Botswana: Girls Getting Geeky

CEOs OF TOMORROW_ These Teens Mean Business.

18 students from Madison, Wisconsin (USA) and Stepping Stones international collaborated to learn about entrepreneurship. The program gave students an in-depth overview of social entrepreneurship (creating a business that benefits society by finding solutions to social, cultural or environmental problems). Students connected virtually to develop an understanding of business concepts transferable to other business concepts. They learned through discussions, guest speakers, video reviews and presentations to explore the field of business.

Different activities were incorporated during sessions to teach different aspects of business (students made ninja stress ball, spaghetti and marshmallow challenge. In addition, students were taught the concept of ‘Design thinking’https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/article/what-is-design-thinking-and-why-is-it-so-popular to help students think outside of the box when starting a social enterprise.

Students attended an 8 days virtual course and the objectives of the course were to:

• Differentiate between the main business structures
• Define and differentiate between entrepreneurship and social entrepreneurship and the impact both have on our economy and society
• Meet and research entrepreneurs who are using business skills to address complex social, cultural and environmental problems in sustainable, profitable ways.
• Create a business model canvas idea and pitch for a business for social good.
• Improve leadership, communication skills, confidence, and cross- cultural awareness.

At the end of the course, the intercultural teen-groups worked together to design and pitch presentations that highlighted a global issue of importance to them and the entrepreneurial steps that could be taken to address it. The challenges students chose to address and pitch were; global hunger, racism, poverty and gun violence.

• https://madison365.com/students-from-madison-and-botswana-collaborate-to-learn-about-entrepreneurship-in-these-teens-mean-busine-academy/

Links:

• Teens mean Busine$$
• CEOs of Tomorrow incubator

• Thinking out of the Box and Designing (PDF)