Re-imagine Education: Change the World

March 20, 2012 - PRLog -- Educate!, a U.S. and Uganda-based organization that develops young leaders and entrepreneurs, announces today that its social entrepreneurship curriculum will reach 45,000 young leaders and entrepreneurs across Uganda as part of the national education system of the country.  The curriculum – the first of its kind in the world – will empower a generation of youth in Uganda to solve the greatest challenges facing the country.  It sets a new model of education for countries in Africa and beyond to follow.

In Uganda over 50 percent of the population is under the age of 15.  Youth face problems of poverty, disease, violence, environmental degradation, and the highest youth unemployment rate in the world (83 percent). Similar figures exist across much of Africa.  There won’t be sustainable solutions without a new generation of leaders and entrepreneurs to create and drive those solutions. Educate!’s curriculum develops that new generation by helping students identify a social or environmental problem in the community and create a venture to solve it.

The social entrepreneurship curriculum will help more than 45,000 high school students in nearly 1,000 schools across Uganda start enterprises and initiatives to lift themselves and their communities out of poverty.

“The new curriculum will bring in exciting experiences, especially with the topic of social entrepreneurship,” said Grace Baguma, Deputy Director of Uganda’s National Curriculum Development Center.

“The new curriculum is transforming the education system of Uganda,” said Eric Glustrom, Educate! Co-Founder and President. “No longer will students simply be encouraged to memorize facts for the national exam, but now they will go out of the classroom and start enterprises and initiatives to solve the toughest challenges facing communities. Reaching over 45,000 students, the national curriculum will create a significant shift in the potential of the next generation to solve problems at their roots: in the fragile communities and eco-systems across Uganda.”

Educate!, which has worked in Uganda for nearly ten years, provides a proven mix of a social entrepreneurship and leadership course, long term mentoring, and an alumni program that helps high school students start enterprises.  Educate!’s curriculum was of interest to the government of Uganda to help solve the country’s challenges, specifically youth unemployment.

In October 2010, the government of Uganda’s National Curriculum Development Center and the United Nations International Labor Organization (ILO) asked Educate! to incorporate its social entrepreneurship curriculum into the national education system.  Staff from Educate! and representatives from the government of Uganda and ILO worked together for nearly two years to implement today’s launch of the curriculum.

"This is a major step towards enabling Uganda's education system to develop thousands of young leaders and entrepreneurs annually who can sustainably drive solutions to their communities’ own problems,” said Boris Bulayev, Educate! Co-Founder and Executive Director. “We're all eager to see the impact these young people will create."

For more information visit: www.experienceeducate.org


About Educate!

Why we do what we do: To create sustainable solutions to the toughest challenges our world faces, we must re-imagine the purpose of education. Educate! develops young leaders and entrepreneurs in Uganda by providing long-term mentorship and two-years of world-class leadership and entrepreneurship training to help high school students start enterprises that solve poverty, disease, violence and environmental degradation.  

Educate!’s alumni program provides ongoing mentorship, training, and access to capital to amplify the impact our students have after graduation.  Our model is exponential empowerment – a long term investment in youth so they can positively impact many others throughout their lives.  We work with 3,600 diverse young leaders and entrepreneurs across Uganda – the next Nelson Mandela, Wangari Maathai and Mahatma Gandhi of Africa.  

Transforming the education system: Educate! partnered with the government of Uganda and the UN International Labor Organization (ILO) to incorporate its social entrepreneurship curriculum into the national education system.  Beginning in 2012, the curriculum will reach 45,000 students each year.