Planting the Seeds of Entrepreneurship in Northeast Ohio Youth

When life hands you a lemon, make lemonade. That proverb rang true in the entrepreneurial mind of Bronx high-school history teacher Charles Best in 2000, when faced with the realization that his inner-city school district couldn’t afford textbooks for his students. After three weeks of investing his own money to make photocopies for daily reading in class, that lemonade came in the form of a groundbreaking, non-profit organization that provides a simple way to address financial inequalities in low-income public school districts across the county – educational crowdfunding. Named by Fast Company as one of the “50 Most Innovative Companies in the World” and one of Oprah Winfrey’s “Ultimate Favorite Things,” Best’s brainchild DonorsChoose.org provides an electronic platform to level the educational playing field by raising small amounts of money from a large amount of people with the goal of funding projects for public school classrooms.

Not only did Best come an innovator; his students did as well, learning first-hand what it meant to be an entrepreneur. Best brought his idea to life with their help and along the way bestowed them with valuable lessons in idea cultivation, creativity, failure and fortitude. Best and his team of students succeeded in providing financially-strapped schools with an avenue to raise funds for their essential classroom projects. Today, more than half of U.S. public schools have one teacher who has created a project request on DonorsChoose.org. More than a million people have donated upwards of $200 million, providing textbooks, supplies, and technology to those students in need.

On Saturday, November 4, Best is a keynote speaker at the ENSPIRE Conference for K-12 educators. He is generously donating his entire speaking honorarium to the attendees in the form of DonorsChoose.org gift cards. More than 120 Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD) teachers are registered to attend, and with each teacher receiving a $100 gift card for classroom supplies, the conference is giving back more than $12,000 to the district.

Hosted by the Young Entrepreneur Institute at University School with funding from the Burton D. Morgan Foundation, the ENSPIRE conference will provide educators with strategies to teach students how to adopt an entrepreneurial mindset. “The mission of the ENSPIRE Conference and our organization is to equip teachers to help students become more innovative, become better problem solvers and have the tools needed for the 21st century,” says Greg Malkin, Director of Young Entrepreneur Institute at University School.

Professors from Stanford Design School, Tina Seelig and Richard Cox, will lead a three-hour creativity workshop of problem-solving challenges which teachers can replicate in their own classrooms. By teaching students to think creatively to solve problems, children learn how to tackle difficult issues outside of the classroom. These types of exercises instill valuable skills, such as collaboration, teamwork, prioritizing, and presenting ideas, but also soft skills, like resilience and personal ownership.

“Learning to think like an entrepreneur is important for students’ future and the future of our region,” added Malkin. “By understanding and experiencing entrepreneurship, students discover they can own their future and have the ability to create opportunities for themselves, as well as others, as future job creators.”

• John Carroll University Associate Professor, Scott Allen will kick-off a year-long teacher leadership training program in his keynote address. Attendees will also participate in peer-to-peer roundtable discussions sharing best practices and effective classroom practices. A Young Entrepreneur Marketplace featuring student entrepreneurs selling their creations will also take place at the conference, including local students Aiden Owens, Ananya Madhavaram, and Arlyn Bounds:
• Aiden is the owner of AFidgety, a 3D design and fidget spinner manufacturer. A seventh-grader from Aurora, he creates gadgets and Cleveland and Ohio-centric figurines that appeal to his peers and their parents. He markets his goods on Etsy.

• Ananya is a 5th grader from Solon who specializes in creating custom, affordable kumihimo bracelets and necklace sets. A motivated entrepreneur, Ananya sells at farmer’s markets across the region. Her entrepreneurial learning is ongoing as she sets-up her e-commerce website and learns about market segmentation, for example Solon buyers’ taste varies from those in Westlake.
• Arlyn is a high school student from Cleveland’s John F. Kennedy high school. Her company Layerz features layered cake bars and cake jars.

The ENSPIRE Conference will be held November 3-4, 2017 at the Cleveland Marriott East. Spots are still available for teachers looking to enhance their student’s academic experience. The registration fee is only $20, thanks to a generous grant from the Burton D. Morgan Foundation. To register, visit: http://www.enspireconference.com/.