UK-based charity Teach A Man To Fish has announced Tarabya British Schools as a winner of the School Enterprise Challenge

Youth unemployment remains a huge challenge and one that traditional education often struggles to solve. 75 million people aged 16 to 24 are currently unemployed (ILO 2012).

The School Enterprise Challenge is organised by UK organisation Teach A Man to Fish and sponsored by South Africa’s The Saville Foundation. The competition is a student-led, business start-up competition for schools around the world and was designed as a way of transforming young people from all over the world from job seekers into job creators.

This offers a platform for providing hands-on relevant education to students, at the same time as generating extra income for the school. In 2014, over 1,250 schools from 93 countries participated in the School Enterprise Challenge. Schools that started a new business made an average of $1,137 in their first 4 months.

"We are delighted to be organising the School Enterprise Challenge for the fifth year running. With more countries and schools getting involved the competition will be even bigger and better and more young people will be equipped with the skills needed to enter the business world," Nik Kafka, CEO of Teach A Man To Fish.

Project Leader Ms. Clare Jones adds:

“Our students successfully participated in the School Enterprise Challenge and were awarded Europe and Middle East Regional First Prize in Stage Three (setting up and running your business). This School Enterprise is based on the desire to give students the opportunity to put the theory they have gained through their study of Economics, Business Studies and Leadership into practice. Participating in the Enterprise made students’ learning more memorable by giving them a practical forum in which to apply their knowledge. The students desire to concentrate on generating profit made them more competitive and gave them a taste of the desire to succeed in a competitive environment. The leadership and teamwork skills that the students developed during the Enterprise will be invaluable to them in their future studies and later in life. For students who wish to start their own businesses in the future, the Enterprise scheme has allowed them to be risk-takers and learn from their mistakes in a safe environment.

Initially the students discussed ideas for a business that not only made profit, but was also socially responsible and environmentally friendly. The students worked in groups and came together to decide which enterprise was going to be most profitable while giving something back to the community and protecting the planet.

The students decided to liaise with local businesses and launch a school affinity card scheme. The profits from the scheme will benefit local charities.”

Tarabya British Schools are leading the way in Turkey with an innovative and sustainable school business that has not only positively impacted their students but also their wider community.