In this project pupils make their own recycled products and create their own virtual (local, national, european or international) business. They sell and promote their products at a school fair and help collect a modest amount of money to provide for a better way of living for children all over the world (invested in learning materials and education). They will learn about the distribution of wealth in the world, Fair Trade, sustainable development and how to start a business on a local, national, or international level, the opportunities of the international market and the protection of the European Union. "By defining "economic citizenship" as involving the rights and
responsibilities of living in an economic community, significant thought must be given to the responsibilities that this would entail. Because our capitalist economic model runs on individual choice and offers little opportunity for collective action, the majority of people acting in our economy think seldom about their role as an "economic citizen" and do little to exercise the limited amount of responsibility they have in their control. "Citizenship" has historically described the rights and duties of being a member of a political community, not an economic one."

Taken from Article Bacon on Economic Citizenship

Task for pupils:

You will start a virtual business and your business manufatures an ecological, hand-made product, using your entrepreneurial skills.

Think about the product you will manufacture first, for instance greeting cards, calendars stationary, gift boxes, use recycled materials to make new products, like pencil cases, pots for plants, jewellery, clothing or handkerchiefs. You could also start a business that offers services, like computer or mobile phone workshops for the elderly, or taking empty bottles to the supermarket to collect the money, or organising native language lessons for non-native speakers, or foreign language lessons for primary school children. Or your business produces a local business newspaper, in which companies can advertise. Or you will find 2 pupils from another country and try and together think of a way how to bring the other country's products into your own country and sell these products in your own country: how does international business work?

Then think about the promotion of your product. All groups will look for 1 official sponsor from a local business, whose logo will be on the product or on your promotional material. What will your promotional material be? Make an advertisement, a website, a logo, a slogan, a website, a leaflet. Be creative! Plenty of ideas!

All groups will promote their business and sell their products at the final FUND RAISING EVENT in their own country. The reports will be published here.  

The proceeds will be used for global support for children and the development of their way of life. The good cause(s) will be decided upon by the teams of the 2 participating countries from 2 different continents.

Who are the International Best Project Partners?

1. Our partnerschool Nobel Academy in Kathmandu, Nepal. Visser ’t Hooft Lyceum and Nobel Academy are founders and coordinators of BEST Project. Your group could start an international business by contacting pupils from your partnerschool with a business proposal. You have to contact these pupils yourself. All business starts with a relationship of personal trust. Learn some words in the language of the other, invest in personal relationships, accept the other ‘Way Of Life’. Ask your teachers for help, they have the contacts you need, they can assist you with software possibilities, like website or social software like wiki.
2. The International Educational Organisation iEARN, in which teachers from all over the world are wokring together. We have 6 ‘tandem teams’ working in this project, from different continents.
3. The Dutch Chambre of cCommerce, city of Leiden, supports BEST Project with guest lectures on international business and how to start your own business by writing your own business plan. They are also the professional jury to judge the categories BEST LOGO, BEST SLOGAN, BEST BUSINESS PLAN, BEST PR, BEST PRODUCT.
4. The Dutch National Youth Council gives a guest lecture on Fair Trade: what is honest trade, and what does the logo mean on some of the products in the supermarket?
5. HEBO: European Professional higer Education, the Hague. You will have heard the word ‘globalisation’. What does it mean and are you a European and global citizen?
6. The teachers of European and International Communication of Visser ’t Hooft Lyceum, Leiden, the Netherlands, provide the tools like the digital learning environment for the online course

As good as certain and certainly good: