Export consultant Victor Mena from Extremadura region shares his experience in this blogpost. Mr. Mena has took part of the iEER learning camps in Kerry and Northern Ireland, Southern Denmark and Marche. He later on piloted the “Creative Problem Solving” inspired from the iEER practices.
“The Government of Extremadura has more than ten years developed entrepreneurial actions and programs in a transversal way with the educational and social field. Working entrepreneurial skills with today's young people means securing tomorrow's entrepreneurs.
To be entrepreneurial is more than generating business ideas. It involves developing personal skills of young people and allows them to confront with more resources in their daily work.
Development of entrepreneurial skills in formal education starts from primary education with the program “Junioremprende”, continues in secondary education with the program “Teenemprende”, high school with “Youthemprende”, in Vocational Training with the program “Experemprende” and ends in stage University with the program “Emprendedorext” and “Campus Emprende”.
On the other hand, the program is about to develop entrepreneurial skills from families. It generates the space to empower and provide parents tools, so that from their daily lives they can reinforce and develop the acquisition of these skills in their sons and daughters.
Within the month of the entrepreneurship carried out by the Government of Extremadura in May 2017, a pilot experiment was carried out with little kids of at a public school. The experience was designed on the application of the CPS (Creative Problem Solving) methodology to introduce children to the concept of being an entrepreneur. We work on the development of different skills of children as well as the identification of the concept of entrepreneurship - all based on teamwork and design thinking techniques.
It was an incredible experience, because all the kids participated on pilot experiment were really dedicated. We asked them to help us with the problem of another children that there wasn't a playground at their school. They developed their team work and they learned that to be an entrepreneur means solving problems with another people. In the end of the project we asked them about what they had learned. The children told us that looking for solutions together was better than doing alone.
If I have to recapitulate what I have learned all year working with iEER program I think I would say the same: looking for solutions together was better than doing alone”.
culturaemprendedora.extremaduraempresarial.es
If you are interested in learning more about this topic, join our iEER conference on 22nd -23rd of March in Brussels – Mr Mena will share how interregional learning has helped to improve his work in the Extremadura region.
