The youth enterprise Wrappy UB.docx

Presentation of an youth enterprise, Stend upper secondary school, in Norway

Vocational program: Nature Based Productions

Author: Britt Janne Karlsen

At our school we have an interdisciplinary project, with both canine issues and entrepreneurship combined. The students have chosen canine issues as their field of studies, and as a teacher I´m facilitating within the frames and learning objectives. Student participation is as we know very important, and in the lessons I try to take some steps behind and emphasize different coaching elements in my daily work as a teacher.

The students work within an educational framework, named UE, Young entrepreneurship in Norway. The students starts their company in august, they also register their company officially, they run their company throughout the year, and they ends it in May. The students have the possibilities to take different courses within this framework like design thinking, economy, public speaking and inclusive employment.

This year the students are focusing on having classes for dog owners, and the topics are: Fear free handling, prevent health problems, activation and stimulation like training the dogs to search and find different smells. The students have their courses in two indoor training halls and also in an outdoor area. When the students have the courses for the dog owners, the students practise on how to take care of their customers, both the customers with four and two legs. The students practise on how to present different topics, and this is really also a benefit in regards to their exams which has an oral / practical form.

In the youth enterprise the students have different roles and responsibility. Some of the students have responsibility for marketing and design, and in this area they have many different tasks, for instance creating a logo, making their own facebook, instagram and website account. The students in this group are working on taking photos and posting them on facebook and instagram and on their website. The students are also making flyers as this helps reach certain demographics. Some of the students are focusing on the environment, for example by using coffee cups and plates made of stoneware when the have their classes for the dog owners (not plastic items) and also sorting out paper and plastic objects, when these materials are in use. Some of the students are responsible for the contact with the customers, and these students have the overview concerning registration for courses. The students in this group are also cooperating with the students that are taking care of the economy in their youth enterprise. Some of the students are responsible of the work environment, and the students in this group implements employee survey.

Taking care of the different daily tasks in this youth enterprise there are many possibilities for development for each student. Because there are so many varied tasks that need to be managed every day this makes it possible for every student to excel within their field. My experience is that through a year the students make reflections concerning their role in their company, and they achieve a greater understanding of their strengths. These experiences and insights would most likely not be present if the students only were taught the theory behind it all. I would like to describe this kind of enterprise as an active kind of student journey, and the students are learning “by doing and reflection”, instead of just listening.

Some of the motivation for our students in their youth enterprise is that the surplus goes to a field trip to Norwegian People's Aid in Bosnia- Herzegovina. Every year we visit the Global Training Centre for Mine Detection Dogs in Sarajevo. Some years the students have donated some money and gifts, like toys and clothes, to an orphanage in Mostar. This excursions main focus is of course on the canine studies, but my experience is that this study trip is also a personal study in culture, history, conflicts, ethics and intercultural competence.