“Your future is created by what you do today, not tomorrow.” - Robert Kiyosaki

Across Melbourne this week, thousands of startups worked to solve critical and creative challenges through innovation. The HEX team joined our CGGS Year 9 students to also do just that; anchored in the current entrepreneurship & business unit our students are undertaking in studies of commerce.

In collaboration with the accomplished social entrepreneurs at HEX, and our CGGS Commerce Department,  these students delved into the world of entrepreneurship, acquiring invaluable knowledge and honing their design toolkit. The Upskill Program delivers experiences under 4 main themes; the HEX @ CGGS experience amplifies the development Digital & Design Literacies.

Taking the initial concepts developed in their Commerce classes, teams of students worked with the HEX team to enthusiastically brainstorm ideas for their business concept and collaborated with their peers; who they now refer to in this unit as “co-founders”. The group spent the morning exploring real-world social problems which ignited their passion to find innovative solutions that could make a positive impact on society and bring these back to their commerce task; Plan Your Own Enterprise. Throughout the day, this supportive environment fostered experimentation and a fearless attitude towards failure, encouraging students to embrace setbacks as valuable learning opportunities.

Diving deeper into entrepreneurship, the students embarked on a journey of understanding the consumer. They discovered the significance of market research, unraveling insights into consumer behaviour through data collection methods which they used in real time with teachers & students across the school. Equipped with newfound skills, the students learned to identify gaps in the market and create products or services that catered to specific needs; again amplifying the real world application for their common commerce task.

“Using our brainstorming from class plus spending time focusing on validating our idea with HEX showed me that what we are doing in commerce is real; it’s making more sense to me now. I’m actualy thinking I might have a go at this idea outside of commerce too!” - Year 9 Student

Immersed in prototyping, they transformed ideas into tangible solutions, honing their design skills and understanding the importance of user feedback. The end of the day saw them connect with a HEX specials entrepreneur in smaller groups, to hone communication skills through pitching & branding.  With guidance from HEX mentors, they crafted compelling narratives, developed strong value propositions, and delivered persuasive presentations. These communication skills enhanced their ability to promote their business ideas and laid a foundation for future endeavours with many students commenting on a growth in their confidence; applicable across subjects and situations.

As the day ended, Year 9 students eagerly showcased their entrepreneurial spirit. They presented their business ideas to peers and the HEX team; ready to take the feedback and progress of their work back into their commerce classes. Students commented that they experienced both using and growing CGGS transferrable skills of communication, collaboration, creativity, problem-solving, and critical thinking during this UPSKILL experience.