2023 Create a Comic Strip winner and top 5 entries!

We are thrilled to announce the WINNERS of the recent Mini-Competition Comic Strip Challenge!

At the School Enterprise Challenge, we believe in nurturing young minds and empowering them with vital life skills. This competition provided an incredible opportunity for School Enterprise Challenge teams to showcase their creativity and hone their ability to communicate visually. Moreover, it allowed participants to develop critical thinking and self-reflection skills, essential for success in the entrepreneurial world!

With over 55 amazing entries received, the judging process was incredibly tough as the talent and effort put into each submission was truly remarkable. Participation in this competition was open to both English and Spanish School Enterprise Challenge 2022 participants, which allowed us to honor one winner in each language. In this article, we celebrate the English-speaking winner and four commendable entries that narrowly missed out on the top spot.

And now, the moment we’ve all been waiting for…

We are thrilled to announce the winner of the first Mini-Competition of 2023 is…

Team USGS Changemakers from Utpal Shanghvi Global School in India! 🏆

A huge congratulations to these young entrepreneurs!

Team USGS Changemakers Comic Strip

Their amazing comic strip beautifully captured the process of brainstorming and shaping their Business Idea centered around the upcycling of old denims worn by the students as part of their school uniforms. We were particularly impressed by their attention to detail, witty dialogue, and the seamless flow of the narrative. Within a single page, they have managed to accomplish an extraordinary feat, showcasing an immense amount of work and creativity. Your dedication and ability to encapsulate a captivating narrative in such a concise format is truly commendable. The team really demonstrated their talent and dedication and deserves all the credit for their extraordinary achievement. Congratulations to the team for their awe-inspiring accomplishment!

The distinguished team will be granted the esteemed privilege of participating in an exclusive Masterclass facilitated by a business expert! This invaluable opportunity will enable them to engage in insightful discussions encompassing vital subjects from Step 2: Business Plan and Step 3: Implementation of the programme. Brace yourselves for a transformative learning experience that will undoubtedly enhance your entrepreneurial journey.

While choosing just one winner was a difficult task, we also want to acknowledge the exceptional efforts of four other entries that caught our attention. Let’s take a moment to applaud their remarkable contributions 👏

First up are the students from the team Trash to Treasure from the Tribhuvan School in India who created a Comic Strip that brought the brainstorming process and the choice of their Business Idea to life with photos of the students and the blackboard they used. The participants demonstrated teamwork, collaboration, and a relentless pursuit of the perfect Business Idea, collecting waste and creating products from it!

Team Trash to Treasure Comic Strip

Next we have Team Treasure Trove of Herbs from DAV Public School, Patiala in India who have left us in awe with their incredible talent for visually illustrating the process of creating their ingenious Business Idea: herbal pipes to replace nicotine. Through the medium of a handmade comic book, they have expertly conveyed the intricacies of their concept. We have been utterly smitten by the stunning drawings crafted by the participants, which have truly captured our hearts!

Team Treasure Trove of Herbs Comic Strip

Thirdly we have Team Naivaedyam from Evergreen Public School in India who have delighted us with their imaginative Comic Strip, elegantly showcasing the creative journey of formulating their Business Idea centered around organic soaps. We were truly amazed by their exceptional ability to seamlessly integrate the photos of the participating students into the comic, displaying a remarkable level of professionalism.

Team Naivaedyam Comic Strip

And last but not least we have the Daddies Firm Foundation School Farm team from Daddies Firm Foundation School in Ghana who have astounded us with their remarkable Comic Strip, showcasing not only their teamwork but also their adeptness in utilizing business vocabulary throughout the process of developing their school farming Business Idea. Their artwork exudes professionalism, and their attention to detail is truly commendable!

Daddies Firm Foundation School Farm Team Comic Strip

We hope you enjoyed reading about some of the many great Create a Comic Strip Mini-Competition submissions! We are immensely proud of all the participants who took part in the competition. The level of creativity, effort, and talent exhibited in the Comic Strips was truly inspiring. Through initiatives like these, we aim to foster essential skills and ignite the entrepreneurial spirit within young minds!

Thank you to everyone who participated, and congratulations once again to the winners and commendable entries! 🌟

Welcome to the first Mini-Competition of 2023!

Get ready to unleash your team’s creativity! We’re calling all students to show off their entrepreneurial skills in our exciting NEW Mini-Competition for 2023. We want to see how your team came up with their amazing Business Idea, from start to finish, by creating a Comic Strip!

If it’s helpful to you, you can use our Comic Strip template which is a Word Document and insert your drawings, photos and text by downloading it here. But, if you prefer, you can create your own from scratch using the graphic design platform Canva or another software of your choice or draw your Comic Strip by hand!

When preparing your Comic Strip, let your inspiration run wild, show your creativity, and keep the following questions in mind:

• What resources did you already have that are beneficial to your business?
• Why did you choose this Business Idea and not another one?
• Who was involved in the decision making process?
• What challenges did you face? And how did you overcome them?

In this Mini-Competition, your students will get the chance to showcase their imagination by creating a page-long Comic Strip. We’re looking for a visual representation of the process your team went through to agree on their Business Idea!

Are your students ready to put their skills to the test in this exciting Mini-Competition? All of the information you need to know is included in our Guidance Document here.

Eligibility

Let’s get started on this exciting journey and see who will come out on top! Here are the 3 things your team needs to do by Tuesday 23rd May:

1. Complete Lessons 1, 2, 3, and 4 inside the School Enterprise Challenge website
2. Submit your team’s Business Idea (Step 1)
3. Upload your team’s one-page Comic Strip to Padlet (more information on this below)

Prizes, certificates and badges

Attention all! Here’s your chance to win big!

Every team that submits a Comic Strip will receive a Certificate of Participation! But only the teams that meet the 3 criteria listed above will get a Digital Badge and be considered for the prize of an exclusive online Masterclass with a business expert!

The deadline is Tuesday the 23rd of May 2023. So what are you waiting for? It’s time to show us what you’re made of and take part in this epic Mini-Competition!

If you have any questions about the Mini-Competition or the School Enterprise Challenge more generally, please do not hesitate to reach out to us by email at info@schoolenterprisechallenge.org or on WhatsApp at +44 7722 481 841. We’ll be very happy to hear from you!

World Teachers’ Day 2022: Celebrating Extraordinary Teachers

The 5th of October 2022 marks World Teachers’ Day, a day dedicated to celebrating the incredible work of teachers all over the world.

The School Enterprise Challenge would not be possible without the unwavering support and commitment from our community of teachers.

So, in celebration of this day, we would like to shine a light on some of the many inspirational teachers taking part in the programme, by sharing the stories of some of our 2021 teacher prize winners!

Winner of the Head Teacher of the Year prize 2021

Monika Mehan, Head Teacher of M.L.Khanna DAV Public School in India won the Head Teacher of the Year award. Monika has overseen the running of two successful School Enterprise Challenge businesses during her time as Head Teacher. In 2016, her students founded a Business-for-Charity enterprise called ‘Sanjeevani-Embracing Life’ and more recently, in 2020, her junior students created ‘Earthlink’.

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  Monika Mehan addressing and motivating participants during an online inter-school event organised by her team’s enterprise

A family affair

Monika has made the School Enterprise Challenge an integral part of the school’s official timetable. This was made possible with the support of parents. Monika recognises the importance of two-way communication between teachers and parents. She acts as a representative of the programme, by communicating to all stakeholders the important benefits it has on the students. Monika has also used her position as Head Teacher and her contacts to secure training sessions and venues for her student entrepreneurs.

Practise what you preach

Monika believes that being a good role model is one of the most important qualities that a teacher can have. She ensures that she is always in attendance at online and offline events and stays late after the school day if her teams require extra attention. For example, when the pandemic hit, the School Enterprise Challenge teams were forced to transition to a virtual marketplace. Monika immediately volunteered to train her teams in how to use Microsoft Teams and Google Meet as she had previous experience using these platforms.

Winner of the Inspirational Teacher of the Year prize 2021

Our next praiseworthy teacher comes from Escuela Básica N° 6775 “19 de Abril” in Paraguay. Miguelina Torres González won the award for Inspirational Teacher of the Year. Her school is located in a low-income neighbourhood and Miguelina is passionate about creating employment opportunities for young people, as most of them do not finish basic education.

Miguelina Torres González presenting the Certificates of Participation to one of her young entrepreneurs

First of its kind

The School Enterprise Challenge was the first programme of its kind to be implemented in this area but this did not come without challenges. Opportunities for sales in the local area are limited, however, Miguelina saw this as a chance to acquire a new commercial ally, the community store. It took some time to achieve this alliance because the community store is hesitant to allow too many competitors to sell there as this would lead to an over-supply of products. However, Miguelina used her status as a teacher to involve members of the community and the outcome was very positive for her team of young entrepreneurs, as they were able to sell their products in the community store!

Trusting relationships

Miguelina thinks that to be a good leader, you must gain the trust of the people you are working with. She has successfully managed to gain the trust of her students, as well as that of their parents and the educational community in general. According to Miguelina, this multifaceted communication strategy has transpired into increased commitment that her students show towards the School Enterprise Challenge programme. Open and honest relationships in this community are key to long term and sustainable business success.

We would also like to give a big shout out to all of our Transformative Teaching Award winners of 2021:

• Sunita Rani (Satya Bharti School Mithewal) from India
• Pramod Kumar Pandey (Satya Bharti School Jyona Farrukhabad) from India
• Bijal Mehta (Utpal Shanghvi Global School) from India
• L. Deepa Reddy (Sancta Maria International School) from India
• Santos Martínez Hernández (Instituto Técnico Honduras) from Honduras
• Amandla Vinjwa (Sivile Primary School) from South Africa
• Jose Eduviges Mayorga Lopez (Elena Ortiz de Flores) from Nicaragua
• Akol Vicent (St John Bosco Katende) from Uganda
• Aisha Nadeem (Alpha Core School) from Pakistan
• Akpan Ukemeobong (Kings & Queens International Academy) from Nigeria

We hope you enjoyed reading about some inspirational School Enterprise Challenge teachers. We are aware of the important role that teachers play in the execution of the programme and commend them for their hard work.

Thank you teachers of the world.