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The Big Issue/Social Enterprise Academy have been showcasing some of the incredible social enterprises run by school pupils across the UK within their Social Enterprise Schools Programme. These inspiring enterprises – united by their desire to make a positive change in the world – are solving a broad and diverse range of social and environmental problems. They are painting a bright and positive picture of what life can be like in the future. By tackling a wide variety of topics, they are answering important questions for the world.
One of the schools that have been highlighted in the programme is St Wilfrid’s Catholic School in Crawley. They have a total of five social enterprises led by their Year 10 Business Studies students.
The social enterprise DOJIN is named after the Japanese god of earth. The initiative is around trading eco-friendly glass bottles at school to promote sustainable behaviours. The team initially attempted designing water bottles using their 3D printers but wanted to avoid using plastic, so then decided to trade the more eco-friendly version of glass bottles instead. Having designed a great logo, they are ready to find a supplier and start selling. Any profits will be used to continue promoting eco-friendly behaviours at school.
MHA are a mental health awareness social enterprise who want to design wristbands that raise awareness of mental health and remind students at the school that they are great just the way they are. The wristbands will include a glow-in-the-dark version, with the slogan “You are enough”.
This social enterprise takes clothing people no longer want and upcycles it! They are accepting donations of uniforms from across the school and will then be upcycling them to support families on lower incomes.
This social enterprise is tackling two problems at once; the cost-ofliving crisis and healthy eating. They’ve identified that organic and healthy lifestyles are not accessible to many people and affording fresh foods can be difficult on a lower income. So the group is encouraging healthy lifestyles by growing their own food at school. Their crops include lettuce and chillies, and they aim to create salad packs that will be sold for affordable prices as well as being donated to local food banks.
Bice is the French word for a shade of blue, but has additional meanings of rebirth and helping. The aim of this social enterprise is to support people sleeping rough by creating care packages for them. These packages will include warm clothing, foods and some personal hygiene items.
