British Council to Host Global Social Enterprise Expo in Kingston

I know it is short notice, but it would be worth dropping by this Expo if you are in the New Kingston area. Come and see what the students are doing and talk to them about their social enterprise. It’s a competitive program that I believe will help build leadership as well as entrepreneurial skills. The photos are from last year’s event. Big ups to the social entrepreneurs!

The British Council will be hosting their second annual Global Social Enterprise Expo on November 18, 2019, at the Worthington, Spanish Court Hotel, in Kingston. The event is a part of the activities being observed around the world during Global Entrepreneurship Week and is a strategic activity in the multiyear Social Enterprise in Secondary Schools Programme, a partnership with Victoria Mutual Foundation Limited.

This year, schools will be showcasing their social enterprises and are inviting the general public to come out and support the next wave of young social entrepreneurs and see the products and services that will help to drive change in our communities and country.

At the Link Your Purpose booth, students had the opportunity to experience a demo of what the online platform included. (Photo: British Council)

“The global social enterprise expo forms a critical part of the Social Enterprise in Secondary School Programme, as it highlights the amazing work that our schools, young people and their teachers would have done since the inception of this programme,” explained Damion Campbell, Social Enterprise and Youth Engagement Manager at the British Council.

The aim of the Social Enterprise in Secondary Schools Programme is to increase students’ knowledge of social innovation and entrepreneurship. Using the British Council’s Social Enterprise in Schools Resource Pack, which also incorporates the British Council’s core skills, it is expected that this programme will help to address the gap in global skills development which is critical to meeting the needs of students in the 21st century in a globalised economy. In addition to the six core skills – critical thinking and problem solving, collaboration and communication, creativity and imagination, citizenship, digital literacy, and student leadership – the programme also includes financial literacy as the seventh core skill.

Students were fascinated by the tech demos at the Youth Can Do IT booth during last year’s Global Social Enterprise Expo. (Photo: British Council)

Naketa West, Manager at Victoria Mutual Foundation reaffirmed the organization’s commitment to youth development when asked about the partnership with the British Council. “The VM Foundation has three core areas of focus: Leadership and Nation Building, Health and Family Life and Youth Empowerment. The Social Enterprise in Secondary School programme falls under Youth Empowerment and we believe our youth are at the heart of positively transforming our nation. We see ourselves as partners who hold some key information, skills and opportunities to help them get there and to support them along the way.”

These Spot Valley High and Montego Bay High students had many questions for Andre Robb (seated), co-founder of Braata Box and Co., as Master of Ceremonies Mark Hamilton looks on. (Photo: British Council)

Results-Oriented Approach

As year three of the programme approaches, stakeholders are looking to see what the short-term benefits of their investments are. Campbell is confident the programme will deliver major impact across the island. “It is also critical to this juncture, as we seek to provide evidence to our stakeholders and the public, the benefits social entrepreneurship brings to young people and vice versa, especially as it related to 21^st-century skills needed in the world of work. This will also form a springboard to continuing the discussions around entrepreneurship education in Jamaica at all levels. The launch of the social enterprise report completed by the British Council and FHI 360 – Local Partner Development at this event also forms a greater part of our initiative to build the ecosystems and inform policy here in Jamaica.”  

Campbell’s sentiments were echoed by West, who added, “This is a bird’s eye view of the potential that exists in our schools, communities and nation. The event is also a great opportunity for the public to see, share, support and connect. It would be great to see business owners or Alumni of these schools come on board to provide further technical or financial support towards expanding these businesses as well as our programme.”

The day will feature:

• A Social Enterprise Village featuring the schools.
• A pitch competition where schools will be competing for a pool of funds towards their social enterprise.
• Three separate panel discussions around the future of work, preparing youth for the fourth industrial revolution and resolving youth unemployment.
• Launch of the British Council Social Enterprise Mapping Report

This event is being supported by Global Shapers Kingston Hub; Community Renewal Programme; Planning Institute of Jamaica; Ministry of Education, Youth and Information; Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries and the Jamaica Social Stock Exchange.

The event commences at 9:00 a.m you are invited to stop by and engage in the fun and excitement.

About the British Council

The British Council is the UK’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities. We create friendly knowledge and understanding between the people of the UK and other countries. We do this by making a positive contribution to the UK and the countries we work with – changing lives by creating opportunities, building connections and engendering trust.

Apart from learning how Deaf Can Coffee started out, students were also enthused to learn sign language as they communicated with the Deaf Can team members. (Photo: British Council)