Examples

This amazing all-female team from Ekonomsko-Trgovinska Škola in Serbia won the Top Global Prize of the School Enterprise Challenge 2020.

Their school business called ‘Eco(nomics)’ produces and sells baskets made from recycled materials (such as old newspapers) and natural materials bought from local fairs and shops.

By doing things this way, this team of young entrepreneurs has created a sustainable business that makes a profit whilst also being conscious about the environment and their community.

In their Annual Report the team reflected on their journey:

"The School Enterprise Challenge helped us to create new ideas for the future. It also brought us together, connected us and helped us stay active during the pandemic!"

Despite school closures in 2020, the team at M.L.Khanna DAV Public School in India found clever ways to continue operating their school business.

'Sanjeevani- Embracing Life' is a business that centres around eco-alternatives for sustainable living (selling locally-made handicrafts and 'COVID necessity products' as well as organising events). Usually it is operated from the school grounds so the pandemic could have forced it to close. However, this incredible team of young entrepreneurs adapted all their sales and marketing to an online-based strategy, successfully building a profitable and sustainable business model!

Team participants also made a fantastic effort to give back to their community by donating about 50% of their profits to local organisations:

"Our enterprise has always worked with sustainability as the prime focus. We ensure that our activities and functioning always have a positive impact on our environment and community."

During 2020 the team from Escuela Oficial Rural Mixta No. 811 JM in Guatemala planned and launched a snack business aimed at students, teachers and school staff.

In this primary school it is the young students who are the protagonists of the whole process: from coming up with the idea to planning and making the sales.

Their thorough market research (they interviewed 44 potential customers!) and their careful analysis of their strengths and opportunities led them to run a successful school business which was chosen by the public as the winners of the Special Recognition Prize in 2020!

"We are entrepreneurs. Even during the pandemic we are able to continue to give our best!"

This all-male team at Zomba Catholic Secondary School in Malawi has created a traditional bee farming and honey harvesting business on their school grounds.

The team showed great entrepreneurial talent throughout the whole process. Before deciding on the type of business they should set up they conducted in-depth market research, interviewing over 150 people in their community, to make sure that there would be plenty of demand for their product.

Along the way they developed a number of practical skills as well as a range of important life skills such as communication, teamwork, critical thinking and problem solving.

Their efforts were recognised when they were chosen as winners of the Best Business Idea Prize in 2020!