The Education Through Entrepreneurial Spirit, along with its levers of awareness, experimentation, acknowledgement and self-affirmation, is an excellent pedagogical approach that has a significant impact on the development of young people, student perseverance and educational success.

Whether you work with young people in elementary or secondary school, watch this capsule (in French only) to better understand the goals of this excellent approach and its impacts. 👇

“The student sees examples of entrepreneurship.”

In the context of a visit to a business or a presentation during the Semaine des entrepreneurs à l’école, young people see the human adventure of entrepreneurship.

Awareness contributes to entrepreneurial culture and translates into a greater tolerance for risk, openness to new things, awareness of the importance of buying from Québec businesses, appreciation of the human power in all forms of entrepreneurship, and words of encouragement for those who initiate projects.

“The student carries out an entrepreneurial project.”

Young people are at the heart of the action to carry out a project that responds to an identified need in their community, whether it is the launch of a new product or the establishment of a service.

Entrepreneurial experimentation is a powerful tool for success. In addition to placing learning in context (what it’s for), experimentation has positive impacts on building identity (discover who I am), the sense of competence (what I’m good at), the feeling of belonging (emotional involvement) and, for older students, it provides career choices (what I like doing).

Education professionals who use entrepreneurial experimentation report a renewal of their teaching practices, greater pleasure in teaching, a decrease in behavioural problems and class management.

“The student’s involvement is highlighted.”

Acknowledgement activities highlight the initiatives that were carried out, sometimes in the form of a video of the project posted on the school’s Facebook page, a registration for the OSEntreprendre Challenge or recognition given in front of peers at the end-of-year party.

Acknowledgement helps students to increase their levels of satisfaction, confidence and self-esteem by having their accomplishments recognized by others (family, peers, community). In addition to contributing to a vibrant school environment and inspiring other students to try their hand at entrepreneurship, third-party acknowledgement strengthens the relevance of the students’ efforts and enables them to become aware of their own path.

“The student affirms his or her entrepreneurial qualities.”

By enumerating the qualities they have developed in carrying out a project, by posting a photograph with a tool from the “Entrepreneurship, I’m up for the Challenge!” campaign, by using the #moijosentreprendre hashtag to share their journey, young people have the opportunity to discover an entrepreneurial identity or even to confirm a career aspiration based on a field of interest (”I want to run my own farming business”).

These opportunities for self-affirmation help people to take ownership of their achievements and integrate them into their identity, and give them control over their lives. By showcasing themselves, young people inspire others!