Kimala Bennett (third from left), and Khary Sharpe (second left) of Bakari Digital work through a business concept with students participating in a boot camp under the Young Entrepreneurs 'I am the Change' initiative. Also working with the students is entrepreneur Anthony Brown.
Ideas defined: Intangible concepts that exist only in the human mind, which, without the right condition to nurture them, are impossible to measure and implement.Far more imaginative are the ideas of young people, says Kimala Bennett, managing director of [color:d8e3=blue !important][color:d8e3=blue !important]the [color:d8e3=blue !important]business-support outfit, The [color:d8e3=blue !important][color:d8e3=blue !important]Business Lab.
But, although their ideas are often full of energy, life and boundless possibilities, often times they do not have the [color:d8e3=blue !important][color:d8e3=blue !important]opportunity and channels to explore them.
"Ideas aren't exactly our own," Bennett reasoned, as she recently addressed more than 180 students from six rural non-traditional high schools from across the country at an expo at The University of the West Indies.
"You and I can come up with a business idea that someone else in China comes up with at exactly the same time."
The solution, she said, is to build an environment in which the 'idea culture' can grow, develop and thrive.
"Establish a system which facilitates the growth of these ideas into products or tools to innovate," she told the students.
The students being addressed were not just any students. They were Bennett's own protégés under the dynamic Young Entrepreneurs 'I am the Change' initiative, a project which she conceptualised and implemented in concert with the Mutual Building Societies Foundation (MBSF), some two years ago, to sow the 'idea culture' among young people.
Solutions
And, this new culture has not only germinated, it has taken root and has already begun to bear fruit, as students transformed their ideas into businesses using innovative technologies to provide solutions to a wide range of [color:d8e3=blue !important][color:d8e3=blue !important]economic and social challenges.
With help from Digicel Foundation, the MBSF implemented the 'I am the Change' initiative in the six rural non-traditional high schools under its broader school improvement initiative, the Centres of Excellence, engaging the on-the-ground expertise of Bennett and her team in 2011, to engender a new approach to education.
Two years later, the students at the high schools under the programme - McGrath in St Catherine; Porus and Mile Gully in Manchester; Godfrey Stewart in West-moreland; Green Pond in St James and Seaforth High in St Thomas, have become immersed and attuned to a culture of entrepreneurism, and demonstrate that they "got the message."
"We wanted students to approach life not as a daunting challenge; but, more like a solvable puzzle, which can be deciphered using the power of ideas," Bennett reflected.
"Therefore, the objective was to foster entrepreneurship through distinct focus on the power of innovation and ideas."
The results have been marvellous. Students in the six schools established and operated businesses ranging from food establishments, to media outfits and revolving locker services; and designed six new mobile applications, which treats with problems, such as security, curriculum issues, waste of farm produce and unemployment among school leavers.
The products and services from the six businesses and their mobile applications were on display at the Young Entrepreneurs 'I am the Change' Business Expo and Competition held at the Mona Visitors' Lodge at UWI, recently.
At the expo, students also pitched their ideas to business leaders and well-known techies in the field, who were clearly impressed with the output of the youngsters.
"The programme was designed to develop the students into well-equipped adults, even if they don't pursue entrepreneurship," Bennett said, noting that the 'I am Change' programme improved students' confidence and leadership abilities, as well as their academic performance. She said students directly involved in the entrepreneurship programme have experienced an eight per cent increase in their averages during the school year.
"I believe that this is the start of a revolution in the way many of our students will approach their lives after school; and, the promise they hold is amazing. This is truly something great."