In  the last week  of February 2018 the penultimate mobility of the Erasmus + G.R.E.E.N. in Europe took place in the city of Sofia in Bulgaria. 

In this period, principals and teachers participated in a short but intense training at the headquarters of the Junior Achievement of Sofia dedicated to economic-entrepreneurial education at school. We talked about Business Plan and Sustainable Development. In particular, all teachers had the opportunity to know a model, properly a canvas, on which they can test the business models in the first phase conception. This is called the Business Model Canvas and is a useful tool to start talking about entrepreneurship since the early years of secondary school.

“Business Model Canvas is a visual chart with elements describing a firm’s or product’s value proposition, infrastructure, customers, and finances.”

“The Business Model Canvas was initially proposed by Alexander Osterwalder.Since the release of Osterwalder’s work in 2008, the new canvases for specific niches have appeared. “

Source Wikipedia – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Business_Model_Canvas

One of these is the dedicated canvas for non-profit businesses, useful for testing sustainable business models. All these tools can be used without any copyright problems as long as the source is mentioned (Creative Commons  license).

Vera Petkantchin and Kirilka Angelova are the Junior Achievement experts who have explained how the Business Model Canvas works.

Below you will find links to useful resources for deepening the topic:

the-business-model-canvas

the-business-model-canvas-instruction-manual

https://strategyzer.com/canvas/business-model-canvas

This model is very useful for introducing the basic concepts on which a business is based, even in the first grade of school.

We ourselves have tested the model in a practical activity of great interest.

The Junior Achievement in Sofia organized a Challenge. Groups of teachers participating in the ERASMUS + project, together with several students of a high school in Turin (present in Sofia to carry out an educational project, financed by the European Community, in the entrepreneurial field) collaborated to find a business model on a specific topic. The theme, proposed by the Municipality of Sofia, was that of public mobility and atmospheric pollution due to private mobility.

The phases of the Challenge:

1. Organization of groups (possibly no more than 6 members)
   
2. Delivery of the theme and copies of the Business Model Canvas (for both private and non-profit activities).
   
3. Group discussion with the possibility of using any source of inspiration (books, magazines, web searches)
   
4. Schematic development of the business model
5. Presentation of the model to all the participants and to the jury
   

In this case the models were evaluated and commented by a person in charge of the Sofia Mobility Department.
Below you will find the link to the theme of the Challenge and some elaborate made on that occasion.

IC Renato Moro Italy – Innovation Challenge 2008

The Business Model Canvas is useful in the educational field also to reconstruct the business model of existing economic activities.

It was a wonderful experience and very useful for all of us.

1. Familiarizing with the “Our Family” program. Children define what a family is, they discover on the poster how family members work together to make better the place where they live. Children also fill in the diary with stickers by first discovering on the poster who does a certain activity, then they cut the image and apply it over the symbol on the page.

2. There are objects and tools placed in a box – the students name them and say in which profession these find application.

Reporter

Tailor

Technician

Singer

3. Understanding the concepts of map, symbols, signs, legend.

Working with the map of Bulgaria

4. Symbol map – hospital, school, library, residential building, police station

Goal – to orientate where we are and how to get to a place.

4. Needs and desires

Home and restaurant layout

5. “Make a gift for a friend!” Making frames for photos of vine sticks together with students from 11th grade / You have pictures of your camera.
6. Finalizing the program and distributing certificates for program completion.

1. Theme “Our family”

„It is easier, when we help each other“

We work as a team, we think, color, create a book with pictures, we draw family portraits.

2. Theme „Needs and wishes“

We discuss, color, distinguish cards with the inscription “need” and “wish“

3. Theme „To pay for our needs and wishes”

„One zero, but how important it is“

There are older guest students, who help in the role-play games and tasks.

4. Theme „The professions in our family“

„One for all, all for one“

Consultants are Zornitza and Eli (mothers of children from the class). We listen to parents’ stories about their professions, the children also share what their parents’ professions are. We play educational – cognitive and racing games. We work as a team. We create gift certificates.

5. Theme „Find the map“

„It is important to be able to orient yourself“

We target the map, get to know the terms “symbol” and “legend”. We work in a team and take part in role-playing games.

„We are happy, that we have learned so much!“