Earlier this year, we announced our partnership with Kennesaw State University Shore Entrepreneurship Center to offer a first-of-its-kind, social entrepreneurship capstone experience for our very first group of eighth-grade students! This opportunity will allow our eighth graders to immersive themselves in a college-level experience with access to college professors, staff, and students.
Regan joined us again to dig a little deeper into how the program and give us more detail about how it will be structured over the course of the next school year!
Q: What are the overarching goals for unit?
A: We want students to realize that they have the ability, even now, to do something about the problems in their communities. Therefore, the overarching goal is for students to actually take action to help solve a social issue by embracing an entrepreneurial mindset and partnering with social entrepreneurs in their community. We don’t just want students to learn about social entrepreneurship. We don’t just want students to talk with social entrepreneurs. We want our students to become confident and passionate social entrepreneurs.
Q: Is there a timeline the unit will follow? How will content flow from week to week?
A: The capstone experience will run from August to May during the students’ eighth grade year. However, the idea is to begin introducing students to entrepreneurial concepts and social causes in earlier grades so they are prepared to take action during the eighth grade capstone experience. Week to week, students will engage in exploration of social issues relevant to their community, conversations with social entrepreneurs in their community, onsite visits and projects, and ultimately, creation and implementation of entrepreneurial solutions to help a particular cause.
Q: What local businesses or entrepreneurs will we partner with?
A: The Middle Grades teaching team will meet with local social entrepreneurs, like Bruce Keenan, in May to explore partnerships and develop the assignments for next year. They will also attend the International Entrepreneurship Institute in June with other educators around the world where they will spend the week developing an implementation plan for this social entrepreneurship capstone experience.
Stay tuned for more exciting updates and information about the social entrepreneurship capstone over the summer! We are very excited to kick off the program with our first-ever group of TCS eighth graders.
