As the curriculum developer and instructional designer for a social entrepreneurship summer program at Harrow International School in Hong Kong, I played a pivotal role in crafting an engaging and impactful learning experience for 8-16-year-old students. Over the course of three days, students participated in leadership and general entrepreneurship training, setting the stage for Day 1 and Day 2 workshops focused on social entrepreneurship skills.
Our mission was to empower students to address a peak challenge: improving the lives of the elderly, regardless of age. To achieve this, we designed workshops that encouraged empathy, creativity, teamwork, and practical application of business concepts.
Additionally, I developed and trained a team of facilitators to execute the program effectively. These facilitators were essential in guiding students through the curriculum and fostering a supportive learning environment. Through comprehensive training sessions, I equipped facilitators with the necessary skills and knowledge to lead interactive activities, facilitate discussions, and provide valuable feedback to students.
On Day 1, students embarked on a journey in empathy, stepping into the shoes of the elderly through interactive games and customer interviews. They developed a persona map to identify social challenges faced by the elderly and worked collaboratively to ideate innovative solutions, creating storyboards or demos for their ideas.
Day 2 focused on bringing these ideas to life, as students developed business models and created storefronts or apps for their social enterprises. They learned how to launch their products online or offline and presented their work in a marketplace setting. Here, students took on different roles, such as caretakers for the elderly, to provide peer feedback and vote on the top solutions.
With three sessions scheduled for July 2023, each accommodating 90 students divided into teams of 10, our program aimed to nurture future leaders with the skills and mindset needed to tackle real-world challenges with empathy, creativity, and innovation.
Read more about this experience from PIM
