In February we hosted our first community event for 2022 – the $20 Boss Term 1 Kick-Off Event with educators joining from across the country!
There was a lot of excitement and enthusiasm during the event as teachers who were new to $20 Boss, and teacher champions who've been running the program for years had the opportunity to network, exchange ideas and have their questions answered.
After a huge year in 2021 where we supported 678 schools, 47,235 students, and 832 teachers to run the program, we are thrilled to see more teachers getting involved in $20 Boss this year. During the event where teachers had the opportunity to:
- Meet some of Young Change Agents’ entrepreneurial educator champions;
- Hear about the highlights of 2021 and our plans for 2022 (more events, professional development workshops and the $20 Boss Awards);
- Connect with other teachers and be matched with a $20 Boss buddy;
- Learn about the additional $37,000 funding from Ecstra Foundation that schools with an ICSEA below 1,100
- Meet the Young Change Agents team and learn more about how we can support teachers running $20 Boss; and
- Learn how to navigate the eLearning platform and find new resources to use during the program (slides, posters, worksheets, case studies and more!).
Most importantly, the event was a fantastic opportunity for teachers from across Australia to connect and share insights about the program with other educators in their state. It was also an opportunity to share ideas on how to run $20 Boss, whilst also navigating the challenges of the ongoing pandemic.
For those that weren't able to make it to the event, we've shared what some of our educator champions shared about their experiences with $20 Boss below!
MEET OUR $20 BOSS TEACHER CHAMPIONS
Sally Stewart | Head of Senior School, Para Hills High School, SA
Sally first participated in the $20 Boss program in 2016. In her first year of doing the program, two of her students won the state prizes for the Social Entrepreneur and Most Profitable Business of the year at the national $20 Boss Awards.
Since introducing the $20 Boss program to her school, it has now evolved into Enterprise Week – a week-long initiative that condenses the $20 Boss program into one week for students in Years 7–10. From Monday to Wednesday, students learn the content. On Thursday they have a ‘Maker Day’, where the students craft and create their products. And on Friday the school hosts a ‘Market Day’, where students have the opportunity to sell their products to real customers in a 90-minute block. After the Market Day, students spend the final part of the school day doing their final budget calculations and are presented with awards for Most Socially Conscious Business, Most Profitable Business, and Best Marketed Business.
In 2021, Sally commented that Enterprise Week was the only week where they did not have to suspend or expel any students in Year 8. Students were invested in the learning, enjoyed the experience, and were engaged throughout the week. Sally also commented that 80% of students reported that they wanted more of this type of hands-on, experiential learning.
Sally was also a finalist in the 2021 Teens in Business Award in the Entrepreneurial Educator of the Year category.
Nicole Amey | Year 11 Coordinator, Humanities and Experienced Senior Teacher, Kepnock State High School, QLD
Nicole adapted the $20 Boss program to fit her school’s curriculum after another entrepreneurial program was put on hold due to the pandemic. Post-isolation and virtual learning, Nicole and her teaching team wanted a way to encourage collaboration, team-building, and project-based learning for their students.
In 2021, Nicole was a finalist in the Teens in Business Award for the Entrepreneurial Educator of the Year category. She and her team are also participating in the Young Change Agents, Navigating the Life of a Startup Pilot program. In 2021, our team also visited Kepnock State High School to deliver a program for girls in Years 8–10 as part of the Academy of Enterprising Girls initiative.
Gemma Beriman | Senior Teacher and Instructional Leader of Digital Innovation and English, Miami State High School, QLD
Gemma first participated in the $20 Boss program in 2017/18, and embedded it into the Year 10 curriculum for business and enterprise. Her team ran the program across a whole term and had assessment related to the $20 Boss program.
Since then, Gemma has completed her Master of Education and Professional Development in Entrepreneurial Education. During her research, she conducted several pre, and post, program surveys and found that programs like $20 Boss improved students’ knowledge around entrepreneurship and that they saw it as more valuable for their futures. She also found that students were better equipped to solve problems, and were able to work better and collaborate with others post program.
This year, Gemma will be running the $20 Boss program with her Year 10 students.
WAYS TO GET INVOLVED
Our team enjoyed connecting with teachers who will be running the program this term, and we look forward to hosting more events like this throughout the year.
If you and your school are looking to get involved in the $20 Boss program, it is completely free to sign up. Once you’ve signed up, you will receive access to all of the $20 Boss resources and be able to join our community of practice and eLearning platform.
Not an educator? If you’d like to receive updates on ways to support the $20 Boss program, please sign up to our mailing list.
If you’d like to speak to our teacher champions, or would like to find out about other ways to receive support for the $20 Boss program, please send us an email: hello@youngchangeagents.com
ABOUT $20 BOSS
$20 Boss is one of Australia’s largest free-to-access, teacher-led, entrepreneurial programs that provides a tangible way of supporting students to build, design, and deliver a business with real money and real consequences.
In 2021, Young Change Agents were selected as the top organisation to continue the $20 Boss program and is now part of our suite of programs. $20 Boss is an easy way for schools to start creating an entrepreneurial education pathway for their students. Last year, we supported 678 schools, 47,235 students, and 832 teachers to deliver the program; and raised over $43,000 through crowdfunding to support low-ICSEA schools.
To find out more about $20 Boss, head to our website.
