Social Entrepreneurship: 7 Ways to Empower Student Changemakers

Tired of disheartened girls thinking they didn't match up to the divas on teen beauty magazines, Grace Miner started Real Girls Matter. The group has a state-wide conference in Rhode Island next year.

When six-year-old Joshua Williams wanted to give ten dollars to a homeless man, his young eyes opened to the plight of the hungry. Joshua, now 13, runs Joshua's Heart to feed the hungry in Miami. On his website, Joshua says: "Whenever I work, I will give some of my money to help."

And the stories go on. Whether it is wells in Africa or standing against genocide, today's students are more than willing to tackle big problems. Their social media prowess and passion can make them an unstoppable force -- when they want to be. (Can you say Ice Bucket Challenge?)

How can we unleash more social entrepreneurs? How can we empower more students to make a difference?

1. Encourage Each Student to Map Their Heartbreak

Each child has a strength and talent -- a "genius," if you will -- that he or she can add to make the world a better place. Empower social entrepreneurs by sharing stories of students taking action, and then encourage students to find their own passion.

Ask students to share what upsets them and makes them angry. Draw it. Write it. Speak it. But by all means share it! Aaron Maurer‘s students created heartbreak maps.

2. Help Students Find Their Voice

I first met Zak Malamed, the bright-eyed founder of Student Voice, in 2012 at ISTE in San Diego, while he was still in high school. The year before, Zak and some friends converged on the #edchat hashtag speaking out for students. Soon #stuvoice -- a weekly chat about student views on education -- emerged.

Fast forward to ISTE 2014. Student Voice’s nonprofit status was approved as several of us drove with Zak to dinner. A movement started up when he spoke up!

3. Empower Social Media Sharing

Since the path from hashtagging your heartbreak to nonprofit status seems faster than ever, digital citizenship is part of any social entrepreneurship movement. Writing is more important than ever, but it isn't your old five-paragraph, third-person essay. Social entrepreneurs need to create impassioned, first-person, hyperlinked calls to action.

Students need blogs, websites, and YouTube channels to share with the world and research skills to vet truth from fiction. Savvy schools create these platforms and have empowering conversations with students about digital citizenship.

4. Encourage Students to Tell Their Story to a Wider Audience

But not all students need a movement. Michael just wanted other students to understand his autism. Teacher John Lozano worked with Michael to tell his story in the video My Name is Michael. John says, "If he told the story [to just his class] it would only be the people in the class who got to see it. So that's when the idea of the video happened."

5. Foster Student Generosity

The students at Clarkstown Central School District were afire. Their cry on Facebook? "Every woman needs a voice, especially one with so much to say." Led by teacher Jennifer Cronk, students raised over $5,000 overnight for their classmate Lanie, a student with cerebral palsy who needed a new mobile eye tracking device to help her speak again. Jennifer worked with Lanie's mom to set up a Facebook donation button so Lanie’s fans could donate. As the students proclaimed, "Vikings take care of their own."

6. Connect Students to Powerful Role Models for Change

Desire is not enough. Students need a plan. Olympic bobsledder Steve Mesler helps students connect with Olympic and Paralympic athletes in training through his Classroom Champions program. Students need practical guidance on goal setting, persistence, and action to make dreams happen. "They [students] have discovered that dreams come true through perseverance and determination," says Robyn Thiessen, an upper elementary teacher in British Columbia, about Classroom Champions.

7. Integrate Social Entrepreneurship Into Your Curriculum

Pauline Roberts developed a new course for fifth graders. Entitled Sciracy, the action-centric course combines science, literacy, and sustainability. Her Detroit students work with businesses to understand their needs and promote eco-friendly sustainability practices. This award-winning program is being scaled up school-wide, as it integrates social studies and literacy standards while empowering positive change (and engagement).

Social Change Starts Here

We inherit the future we inspire today. Do we want helpless handwringing when hard problems emerge, or do we want impassioned leaders to stand up and take action? Social entrepreneurship is not an extra -- it is an essential.

Perhaps students don't like to write because we're not unleashing their heartbreak. Perhaps they don't like math because the numbers they're working with don't add up in a meaningful way. When students are passionate, they are engaged. When students are empowered, they are unstoppable. Unleash our students to change the world, and we might just see the change we want in education happen at the same time.