Young social enterprise pioneers

WHEN an 87-year-old man fell down outside their primary school, pupils brainstormed how to help elderly people in their Scottish village.

And their conclusion was to start a business.

Going door to door, the children had already noticed that old people, often living alone, appreciated a chat more than the free lettuces they were giving away from their school garden.

So the pupils set up a community café in their school hall where everyone could congregate – one of more than a thousand ethical businesses that children have created and run in Scotland, a global leader in fostering young social entrepreneurs.

“Lots of people have passed (dead) relatives, so they are all alone in the world,” said Rory White, an 11-yearold at Dairsie Primary School, about 80km north of Edinburgh. “By including them in our actions, it helps them and makes their day and life better.”

As youth unemployment and the gap between rich and poor grow globally, campaigners say social entrepreneurship should be taught at all schools to equip the next generation with skills to solve pressing social and environmental challenges.

With social entrepreneurship already being offered by several prestigious universities, including the London School of Economics and Harvard University, campaigners in Britain are lobbying for the subject to be added to the school curriculum.

Scotland is already a trailblazer. It aims to have a social enterprise – or business that seeks to do good while also making a profit – at every school nationwide by 2026 as part of its 10-year plan to promote the sector.

Scotland is unique in having a long-term social enterprise strategy, according to Juliet Cornford, an adviser with the British Council, which promotes British culture abroad.

“Teaching social enterprise in schools provides young people with the sense that they can do something to affect change where they see a social problem,” she said. | Thomson Reuters Foundation