The Ale Municipality Project

I am, nowadays, a part of a group who works for the British government. Our task is to develop a platform for how to educate entrepreneurs in future Great Britain. Here is the answer. This is, in all likelihood, a unique concept that more people should get knowledge of. The Municipality of Ale is a predecessor, which I hope that your government has observed. Roger Mumby-Croft Warwick University

ORGANISED BY Contact: Thomas Sundsmyr, Ale Municipality E-mail: [email protected] Phone: +46 303 330 935 BACKGROUND / PURPOSE / AIM

”The Entrepreneurs of Tomorrow” was a successful training programme, which during the years ”It has been a special experience. A serious and interesting task, combined with a 2001 - 2004 was organised by the municipality of Ale. In 2005, the project was developed further and lot of humour. Besides all new knowledge, I have built myself a completely new was named “Young Entrepreneurs in the new Europe”. Together with the twin towns/sister commu- nities of Ale (Kaufungen in Germany, Bertinoro in Italy, Raahe in Finland), Marlborough -Warwick network with people from large parts of the world” in England, and St.Petersburg in Russia, and Budesti in Moldavia - we carry out an entrepreneurship training for young people, in collaboration with the University of Warwick in England. ”I have learnt many new things, and to dare to think in new ways.. I believe that The purpose with the training is to stimulate young people to become future entrepreneurs. By recruit- my self-confidence has strengthened” ing participants from eight different cultures, the programme contributes to the development of langu- age skills, to an increased capacity, to cooperate and to develop social skills with others from different ”It’s been absolutely great. I’ve come to know many new friends and my English has lands. This kind of training gives the course members an evolved capability to think with creativity. The project also helps participants to develop an international network for the future. developed enormously during this week”

The aim is that young entrepreneurs will be able to see and analyse opportunities and possibilities of – This is the best training I have ever taken part in. It has been an excellent mix of business. They will also be more aware of potential risks. After having gone through the training, the participants should feel a stronger sense of self-confidence and a conviction that entrepreneurship is a teaching methods, fun activities and culture exchange. positive challenge – a future opportunity. – It is difficult to put into words a week filled with so many different experiences. The location of the training is on an island in the West Swedish archipelago. It is introduced with four days of theory. Here the participants learn a lot of things connected to what entrepreneurship is I have gained a new insight into what entrepreneurship all about. Above all they are encouraged to practice thinking in other, new ways. The main question is is all about. ”Can I be an entrepreneur?” Lessons and team building activities are presented in intervals. After the initial theoretical days, there will be project work in which the participants will bring forward a new business idea through brainstorming. Thereafter they develop a business plan for the chosen idea and then they introduce it. This takes place in internationally mixed groups of 4 – 6 persons. There will be project work and team-building activities such as sailing, among other things, in intervals. Just to learn how to hoist a sail is also a form of entrepreneurship. This step places heavy demands on collaboration, understanding each other and creativity, in order to be successful. The training is concluded with group presentations of the different business ideas, in which both market plans and business plans are taken into account for the presentation.

The leaders for the training, which is carried out in English, are from the University of Warwick and Oxford Brookes University.

”It's not the strongest of species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change”

Charles Darwin

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"It was just great. I have probably lernt more this week than I have done for the last years in my school"

“I cannot describe just how much I learnt about enterprise, teambuilding and myself ”

" I learnt that I can do nearly everything if I just want to"

“If every school would look like this our world will be much better”

“I learn in this summer school so much that it’s hard to understand”

“It was so useful for helping me in the future”

” I made a huge progress in deciding who, what and where I want to be in the future”

Purpose • Starting a process of thinking differently • Getting improved ability to find new solutions • Inspire to a future entrepreneurship • Meeting other cultures • Making new contacts

Objective • Strong sense of self-confidence • Creative young people • Seeing entrepreneurship as a future possibility • A European entrepreneurship network for young people

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to begin the course start with teambuilding. the participants from different countries have to get to know each other. RogeR MuMby-CRoft DeNNis laRseN PRofessoR ale MuNiCiPality

on the island Krokholmen, where the training will be carried out during five of the seven days, there will be lessons, project work, and teambuilding activities, all in intervals.

Project work.

the participants get NiColette MiChells DaViD CaRtWRight some inspira- teaCheR oXfoRD busiNess tion from an DeVeloPeMeNt ltD. entrepreneur. there’s plen- ty of time for ques- tions. the entrepreneur stays for an afternoon and helps the participants at the conclusion, a presentation of all business with their ideas will take place. after the account of the project work. group projects, the participants are given a dip- loma by the course leaders.

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