Youth founds
Youth founds is a business plan and simulation game competition for schoolchildren and trainees. The competition was launched in 2003 on the initiative of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research . Since that time, several thousand students and trainees throughout Germany and at German schools abroad have been developing innovative business ideas, developing business plans and leading their virtual companies to economic success over eight business periods.
During the course of the competition year, the participants can gain deeper insights into economic relationships and get to know the importance of initiative and entrepreneurship for their own work. A growing educational platform on the subject of entrepreneurship education has been formed around the competition, providing more in-depth knowledge about founding, business administration, creativity, innovation and other topics in a age-appropriate manner.
Sponsorship
The initiative to develop the national competition lay with the Federal Ministry of Education and Research , which is still promoting the competition today. The Steinbeis Innovation Center for Corporate Development at the University of Pforzheim (SIZ) has been behind “Jugend grasst” in terms of concept, content and organization from day one .
Over the years, the range of "youth founders" has been continuously expanded. In addition to information events for teachers and trainers, teaching materials, online learning opportunities and a telephone hotline, the offers now also include systematic support for alumni, e. B. as part of a mentoring program.
The competition
Conditions of participation
Participation in the competition is basically open to all interested players. Participation can take place as a single player or in teams of up to six participants. Schoolchildren and trainees who have not yet started their studies and have not yet completed their first vocational training are entitled to profit. It is possible to take part in "Youth founders" multiple times in different competition years.
Innovative ideas are sought for at “Jugend founds” . The originality of the business plans submitted must be recognizable; Business ideas from the previous years of the competition may not be reused or copied. In the case of further developments or changes to business ideas that have already been submitted to Jugendgründes, the new idea, the new benefit or the originality must emerge. The game management, as the highest management and decision-making body, reserves the right to exclude the business plan from the evaluation and the team from the competition in the event of suspicion of reuse or plagiarism.
Process and structure
The “Young Founders” competition consists of two phases, which are based on the course of a school year. The timing within the two phases can be arranged individually.
In the first phase, which begins after the summer holidays, the participants develop an innovative idea as the basis for a business model . From the business ideas, the participants create their individual business plans with the help of an input mask ("business plan assistant"). Each business plan is evaluated by a jury of experts and each participant then receives constructive feedback. In the second phase, the second half of the school year, the participants lead their virtual company in an online business game over eight periods through the ups and downs of the simulated economy to economic success.
The participants with the best business plans are invited to regional interim finals at the beginning of the second half of the school year. At the three intermediate finals (south, middle, north), the best business ideas are presented to the “youth founders” jury and awards are given. After the simulation game phase, the best teams from both phases of the competition will be invited to the national finals, where the winners will be determined.
Prizes and rewards
The national winner can look forward to a first price trip to Silicon Valley / USA, including visits to startups and well-known, established companies. In addition to prizes for second and third place winners, there are also special prizes for business ideas in special areas.
City and regional cups
In some places, city or regional cups are organized in cooperation with regional partners such as chambers of industry and commerce , Volksbanken , savings banks and schools.
Network and awards
“Youth founders” cooperates with state and private institutions, associations and initiatives that feel connected to entrepreneurship education . Wanting to establish the entrepreneurial spirit and the associated entrepreneurial characteristics such as creativity, initiative, passion and courage in the educational landscape and thereby make a valuable contribution to society is what connects youth founders with its cooperation partners.
- Working group for nationwide school competitions
- Entrepreneurship goes to school
- World Association of German Schools Abroad (WDA)
- Start-up week Germany
- Land of Ideas 2008
- Workshop N-Project 2015
Alumni work
As an educational platform, "Jugend gruten" continues to support its alumni after the competition with a view to developing entrepreneurship, professional orientation and personal development through a variety of offers such as alumni meetings, mentoring programs, newsletters, etc.
literature
- Barbara Burkhardt-Reich: Sustainable Learning? An online competition for economic education. In: Opportunities to learn through competitions. , Ed. By Ulf Marwege / Jan Hendrik Winter, Federal Agency for Civic Education, Bonn 2015, pp. 87–99.
Web links
- Official website of "youth founders"
- https://www.bmbf.de/de/jugend-gruendet-der-bundesweit-online-wettbewerb-fuer-die-macher-von-morgen-898.html
Individual evidence
- ↑ Steinbeis Innovation Center for Corporate Development at Pforzheim University (SIZ)
- ↑ Working group for nationwide school competitions
- ↑ Entrepreneurship goes to school
- ↑ World Association of German Schools Abroad (WDA)
- ↑ Founders Week Germany
- ↑ Land of Ideas (2008) ( Memento of the original dated February 11, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Werkstatt N-Projekt (2015) ( Memento of the original dated February 8, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
