After students read the book, they complete an activity in which they pretend they are running a company and need to keep their important due dates and deadlines in order. They are given lots of tasks that they must prioritize and map onto their monthly calendar. When we tested the activity with students, they were absorbed in creating the calendar for an hour! Who says organizing isn’t fun?

The Global Shapers, established by the World Economic Forum, is an exclusive community of exceptional youth with extraordinary achievements, working together to find fresh solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges. Among thought leaders like Kris Gopalakrishnan (Co-Chairman Infosys), Kiran Bedi (India’s first woman IPS Officer) and Harisha Hande (Magsaysay awardee), Be! Fund was also asked to speak about how we are finding and investing in young entrepreneurs from low-income communities to start businesses that solve problems.

Matilda, our Be! Fund Manager in Bangalore, told the gathering about Radhakrishna (better known as RK in his village) who started a transport business to connect farmers to markets. Before RK’s business, farmers’ crops were left to rot because there was no efficient way to get them to town. Now RK is helping 50 farmers earn a better income.

And that’s when RK himself unexpectedly walked on stage and told his story. The young people in attendance were awed by RK!

Read more about the Global Shapers event in The Times of India

Here’s a work-in-progress maze game that allows children to practice the skills of planning and goal setting. Kids have to move their pieces across the board, avoiding planning mistakes (like not doing your market research or failing to forecast weather conditions that affect your business) and outwitting other players who are trying to keep them from getting to their goal.

And now the fun part: we get to play!

Tune in every Sunday, 12:30pm. Mark your calendars!

Feb 26:  Seher ka Jagmagata Business
March 4:  Biogas ka Bindass Business
March 11:  Motor-mechanic Phulwa ki Kamaal Kahani
March 18 : Bamboo Boys
March 25:   Suraj ka Superwaterworks
April 1:   Rukshar ka Asmani Bagh
April 8:  Pintu aur uske 99 dost

Imagine living in a village where you have to travel 20km just to get basic news.

Pramod, age 28, used to live in a village like that. A village of 3,600 people in Maharashtra where people had to go 25km to the nearest town to read a newspaper. A year and a half ago, Promod, a farmer, started a library in his village, in a room next to his house. The library now has 125 paying members, including young people who read job ads in the newspaper (two have even found jobs as a result). And this Republic Day, students from Class 5-10 used the library to research Nehru, Gandhi and Ambedkar, and then gave short speeches in front of their classmates. Now, Promod wants to add a computer and more books and transform his library into an information hub for his village.

“Not just business, I could run the country if I wanted to.”

Preeti lives in a village in Madhya Pradesh, and is a homemaker and mother. Her husband earns Rs. 3,000 a month and she uses part of this salary for her son’s education and has been saving another part for her dream business. She wants to start a business of producing briquettes from agricultural waste that can replace firewood. Her business will save trees and provide an efficient alternative fuel. Preeti will hire 5 women to help her in her briquette unit. She says, “Education or no education, women are smart and can shine in any field they want.” She says she wants to be role model for other women in her community.

Manoj lives in a village in the hills of Uttarakhand. He went to school till 10th standard and then did his graduation through correspondence. He got a diploma in merchandising and worked in Delhi for four years. But Manoj wasn’t happy with life in the city; he wanted to go back to his village and start a business. So last year, he started a small scale camping and trekking business. He hasn’t been able to get a loan from state banks because of lack of collateral. He wants to establish a camping resort, buy tents and make a website marketing his business. He hopes his business will promote tourism and bring wealth to his village, and inspire young people who have migrated to come back to the village.

These are just some of the entrepreneurs who have called us in response to our media campaign on STAR. We will continue to tell you their stories as they go through the selection process.

We’ve gotten

60,000 calls in the past 6 weeks

1,500 SMSes

150 letters and postcards

and growing every day…

We’re hard at work answering these calls, messages and letters, and finding young entrepreneurs throughout India! if you’re a young entrepreneur who has applied to the Be! Fund, you can expect a call from us soon.

We hope that the Be! an Entrepreneur Skills Training Campaign pioneered in the state of Bihar will become a model for the rest of India.

Read coverage of the MoU:

http://www.patnadaily.com/index.php/news/6841-govt-signs-mou-to-teach-english-entrepreneurship.html

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-01-12/patna/30619046_1_english-teachers-secondary-schools-education-department