International Collaboration, Global Impact, and the IDEEC Project

Future Anything is proud to be the only provider in the southern hemisphere invited to contribute to the Impact-Driven Entrepreneurship Education for Children (IDEEC) project. In this blog, two members of our team share their experiences travelling to meet our international partners: Nic Dyson, who attended the project's inaugural in-person gathering in Amsterdam in 2022, and Dan Dempsey, who joined the team in Merida, Spain in 2024 for a week of workshops as the toolkit moved into its final stages.

"What business entrepreneurs are to the economy, social entrepreneurs are to social change. They are the driven, creative individuals who question the status quo, exploit new opportunities, refuse to give up, and remake the world for the better." David Bornstein

How it all began: Nic in Amsterdam (2022)

by Nicole Dyson, Founder & CEO

The last time my feet traversed the bridges over Amsterdam's canals was fifteen years ago. I'd just made the difficult decision to return home to Australia after a couple of years living and working in the UK and USA. The beautiful Dutch capital was one of the last stops in my 'final hurrah' tour of Europe.

I remember the trip being marred by my own uncertainty around the decision to return home. My employer at the time had offered to sponsor me to stay in the UK and whilst I adored working with young people in my capacity as a swimming coach, I had no idea whether the gamble to return home to complete a teaching degree would pay off.

Would I find the same sense of purpose and joy in the classroom as I did in watching the black line?

Last week, I returned to Amsterdam. This time, at the invitation of the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences (AUAS) as one of only nine partners from five countries invited to participate in an international research project on global best practices in impact-driven entrepreneurship education for young people.

I'm honoured that Future Anything is the only provider in the southern hemisphere invited to contribute to the three year IDEEC project, working alongside partners from the Netherlands, Spain, Italy and the UK:

• Fawaka Ondernemersschool (Netherlands)
• Amsterdam Impact (Netherlands)
• Junta de Extremadura (Spain)
• Centro Internacional Santander Emprendimiento (CISE) (Spain)
• Invento Innovation Lab (Italy)
• Fondazione E35 (Italy)
• Social Enterprise Academy (UK)

Our goal? To form an international research consortium to design and develop a best practice pedagogical framework for entrepreneurship education, a comprehensive toolkit for educators and facilitators, and best practice impact measurement tools.

To say that I am excited to contribute to this important piece of work is an understatement. This project provides the perfect platform to democratise access to entrepreneurship education globally. It's also a wonderful opportunity to learn from and alongside some remarkable organisations leading impactful and purpose-driven work around the world.

Over a year in the making, last week's visit to Amsterdam was the first time that the partners had met in person. Together, we'll spend the next three years challenging and supporting each other around a few critical questions:

• How can we effectively teach young people about social and sustainable entrepreneurship?
• How can we support entrepreneurship education providers, teachers and policymakers in doing so?
• What building blocks can we put in place to improve the design and delivery of social and sustainable entrepreneurship around the globe?

Educational programs on social and sustainable entrepreneurship for children already exist in each of the participating countries, but this is the start of a new and meaningful international collaboration and structured research program that will have a far-reaching impact beyond the host countries of each of the partners.

We're only at the very start of this journey, but I'm looking forward to sharing updates and progress from our collaboration with colleagues and friends in the Australian education and innovation communities as the project develops.

Jumping on the plane for the 27 (or so) hour journey back to Australia, I reflected on that awfully overused 'j' word. The 'journey'. From swimming coaching to a university degree. From learning about teaching to standing in an actual classroom as a teacher. From leading a classroom to leading a team. From leadership within the system to a start-up outside the system.

The thread that connects one experience to the next is a simple one. I just love seeing young people do something that they didn't think they could do.

Suffice to say, on my return to Australia following this visit to Amsterdam, I felt none of the indecision that I did last time I made that trip.

I believe we're at the precipice of catalysing the pockets of greatness that exist across the globe into a powerful movement. A movement that puts young people first. A movement that believes in the power and potential of young people. A movement of youth-led ideas bending the future, for the better of us all.

Two years on: Dan in Merida, Spain (2024)

by Dan Dempsey, Program Director (Professional Learning)

In September 2024, my work with Future Anything took me to the heart of Spain for a week of face to face workshops (yes, in the flesh, without Zoom!) for the IDEEC project.

I've been privileged to build on the outstanding work that came before me in the development of an internationally designed entrepreneurial education activity toolkit. Having heard about the Amsterdam gathering from Nic, it was exciting to see how far the project had come and to contribute to the next phase of the work.

Varied culture, aligned mindset

Stepping foot into the World Heritage City of Merida (3 hours south of Madrid), founded by the Romans in 25 BC, I couldn't help but feel I was in another world. And yet our work, goals, intent and mindset couldn't be more aligned. We are developing an activity toolkit that will empower schools around the world to implement impact-driven entrepreneurship education and build effective programs that empower children aged 9-15 to develop entrepreneurial solutions for environmental and social challenges.

The research base

Sitting behind the toolkit are key didactic principles and the foundations of three main methodologies: Project Based Learning (PBL), Universal Design for Learning (UDL), and Human-Centred Design (HCD). At their intersection, the toolkit aims to provide equal opportunities to all students and engage young people in exploring and solving real-world problems, with a framework that places people's key needs at the centre.

Four fundamental principles run through the work: diversity and inclusion, a competency focus, student centred learning, and the teacher as facilitator.

The activity toolkit is structured across three phases, guiding students on an entrepreneurial journey from problem (challenge) to solution to impact, while building their skills and capabilities through nine key competencies. You can explore the full framework on the IDEEC website.

Inspiration all around

It wasn't hard to be inspired by the local culture, schools and community. All around us was evidence of impact-driven programs embedded into community life in a way that felt completely normal to locals, even as it impressed all of us.

Take the students at a local art school (catering for ages from 15 to 60) using their studies in visual art, mosaics, and interior and landscape design to repurpose unused, abandoned buildings and recreate ancient Roman artwork. Or the local school that was seven years into a garden project involving collaboration from all aspects of the community, from growing, harvesting and selling fruits and vegetables, to using plants and aromatics in cooking and homemade products like soaps and heat packs, to using the latest research to innovate on cultivation techniques.

This was no exception. It was the norm.

Where we got to

Throughout the week, the team worked hard across a number of key outcomes:

• Refinement of the activity toolkit
• Train the Trainer workshops
• Development and testing of impact measurement tools
• Policy documentation
• School visits
• Stakeholder collaboration and sharing
• Experience of local culture and context

A particular highlight was the opportunity for members of the team to deliver an activity to students at a local secondary school, specifically to test the impact measurement tools. Seeing the work in action and using the feedback, data and results from talking with students, teachers and school leaders to refine our direction was both motivating and satisfying.

What's next

As we move toward a launch and dissemination event in Scotland, our attention shifts into a testing and evaluation phase. All stakeholders will begin testing the toolkit within their own local and national settings, with the aim to finalise it over the coming months. We can't wait to see it in action.

I left Spain with a sense of achievement, pride and an excitement for the future. In particular, I look forward to the opportunities this work will provide students around the world to be impact driven and bend the future, one idea at a time.

The IDEEC research project is funded by the European Erasmus+ grant program. Read more here.