Gain Creators / Outcomes

• Our Community has a methodology and content that tackles difficult subjects for kids to understand like tax, differences in public and private jobs and the necessity for both. The content fits into the curriculum in most countries between grade 2 and 4 (social studies, language, math and arts).
• The implementation guide is easy to understand, and makes it easy for volunteers from the local community to help deliver the program.
• The students develop a sense of career awareness and how all jobs help the community.

Gains / Needs

Teachers need:

• Practical learning-by-doing approaches in the classroom
• Easy-to-implement activities that fit well within the curriculum
• Content that is relevant and engaging for students aged 9-10
• Activities that will expose young people to real-world businesses and entrepreneurs
• Time flexibility to deliver another course

Target Group

Educators (primary school, students aged 9-10)

Implementation Method

Our Community programme is implemented in 25 countries in Europe and in more than half of them the education authorities for teaching accredit it in the school curriculum.

Distribution

• Through the JA network:  JA offices reach out to local schools or teachers register with their local JA office to participate in the programme.
• The programme’s educational kit is distributed to participating schools for the preparation of teachers and volunteers

Implementation

• The programme is delivered in collaboration with national partners from public and business sector;
• JA provides training and support for educators and volunteers to deliver the programme in the classroom.

Entrepreneurship education activities for primary school – Our Community

Our Community uses posters and games to offer practical information about businesses and the many jobs they offer in a community.                    

Students identify and explore the need for both public and private jobs, production methods through a simulation game, and they learn about taxes, decision-making and how money flows in an economy. In 2014-2015 school year over 125,000 students enrolled in the programme across Europe.

Activities

Programme delivery through 5 lessons in the classroom:

• Describe a community.
• Identify the variety of careers people have in a community and how each job requires specific skills.
• Identify how business and government jobs help a community.
• Explain how taxation supports government services.
• Recognize voting as a way responsible citizens act.
• Describe the flow of money in a community's economy

Resources

Curricula , training and support for educators & business volunteers:

• The program has notebooks and materials for students to use in the class. The programme kit includes detailed plans for the volunteer and materials for 30 students.
• Training session for teachers and volunteers
• JA follow-up and support

Manpower:

• A volunteer from the local community joins the teacher in delivering the concept. The program works well with volunteers from either private or public sector. 
• Support staff from JA side

Pain Relievers / Solutions

• Our Community is well tested and student-centered, supporting the development of skills such as: creativity, critical thinking, decision-making, problem solving etc.
• Easy to use 5 sessions for teachers that focus on teamwork oriented activities that increase student interaction and emphasize learning by doing. The manual for volunteers describes the program and ensure good methodology even It the volunteer has no experience from teaching kids at that age level.

Pains / Challenges

• Teachers find it difficult to implement entrepreneurship in early stages in school, because:
  • entrepreneurship is new to most teachers at that level
  • there are not many programmes to support EE at this level
  • students are difficult to engage in such topic 
• So far, few good activities are shared among teachers that support the full definition of entrepreneurship education.
• It is difficult to include “non-teachers” from the local community in activities since they are not familiar with content and methodology.