Stories
Supporting innovation through youth mentorship
To me, it is very important that businesses and educational programmes work together. Schools can teach kids the basics like, mathematics, reading and writing, but “business” is a real-life test for all the things we have learned. Businesses show us and explain to us the differences between the praxis and the theories. Most people first learn the theory and then the practice (first school then work), but to experience both at the same time is much more effective. It helps them to recognize and remember the use of what they have learned much better.
I think it is crucial for young people to be aware of their own responsibilities to (and rights in) society and to be able to use their skills and knowledge to create good things so that they can be successful in both work and life. Having entrepreneurship skills means to me that somebody has a comprehensive understanding of complex problems and is aware of what kind of roles and responsibilities are needed in a team to achieve something together. Besides leadership skills, it also entails the ability to manage one’s own life in a good and efficient manner.
As a volunteer, I really enjoyed the open-minded and honest working atmosphere. Even though my 17-18-year-old pupils chose a very difficult subject (migration) I enjoyed their simple and innovative ideas. I was fascinated about how much they think of this issue and how willing they are to solve it, in spite of the fact that the top-ranking politicians don’t seem to find solutions easily. From my experience, I learned, or rather it got confirmed, that young people have many, many good and simple ideas to solve difficult problems. I noticed they can be very enthusiastic about topics they are interested in. It is a pity that schools don’t give them the opportunity to try or test ideas in real life situations to see under which circumstances they might work. That’s why I say to any potential volunteer: Just do it!
Written by Eva Bagyanszki, an NN business volunteer from Hungary.