On the way down to Eden Campus in Karatara South Africa (www.edencampus.org) with Dr. Scott Fee an idea developed - how can we help empower the students to tell their own stories?

Yesterday Scott and I helped the students set up their own blogs.

These are amazing young people. They come to the school free of charge from rural, poor townships. They create their own education through entrepreneurial ventures they start, manage and staff. The money they earn helps pay for their education.

The goal is to be completely self sustaining - Africa's first Green Business School.

Imagine the power of having these students tell their own stories each day - handing in assignments online - interacting with teachers and students around the world. Creating powerful stories, and a portfolio they can use upon graduating.

Scott is bringing down a group of twenty students form Minnesota State University Mankato in May. Each student will be a student of Eden Campus for a week. Minnesota Students will be partnered - one to one - with an Eden campus student. Together, they will interact via the students blogs, and share their stories with the world.

These young students have amazing stories. They create entrepreneurial ventures to support their education. They learn through doing and creating. Please follow their blogs.

www.lelazatwork.blogspot.com
www.thembi-thembi.blogspot.com
(more coming soon)



I want to thank Seth Godin. His recent books - Meatball Sundae and All Marketers are Liars inspired this idea.

Labels: Eden Campus, Social Entrepreneurship

Here's a reprint from TeachAManToFish.org about Eden Campus. I depart in less than 24 hours to help out and learn from these amazing people.


Karatara, South Africa

Situated in the small rural village of Karatara 12 kilometres inland from Sedgefield on the beautiful Garden Route of the Southern Cape lies Eden Campus. We are busily involved in a unique project to create the first green business school in South Africa. The project started in 2005, has spent the intervening time gaining a foothold in the communities that it serves and is now ready to become a force on the South African education scene.

We are desperately in need of volunteers who would like to spend some time in this idyllic surrounding and who would like to have a never to be forgotten experience. You will also have the great satisfaction of helping the impoverished youth of the southern Cape to become employable.

Students of Eden Campus spend two years learning entrepreneurial business skills first through the excellent programme offered by the international Junior Achievement organization and then by applying the skills learned in practical businesses.

Typical businesses include:

Karatara Nature Cycles – This already successful business will be expanded in 2008. KNC hires bicycles to tourists and takes them on guided tours into the indigenous forests of the Karatara area

Gardens – In 2008 we are developing our gardens to provide herbs, vegetable and indigenous growth. The herb garden will produce herbs for resale, the vegetable garden for feeding the Campus and the indigenous garden as a tourist attraction and nursery.

Worm Farm – In 2008 we intend growing the size of our worm farm and from this we will produce compost for the gardens and become a reseller of worm farms on the Garden Route

The Karatara Shop – last year we were successful with our second hand clothing shop. In 2008 ar we intend to expand this to include general goods and even produce from our gardens and later the nursery.

Project Areas

* Education
* Agriculture
* Environment
* Running business ventures

Activities

* Teaching - English, Maths, IT, the environment and facilitating the Junior Achievement Programme
* Environmental conservation – indigenous gardening, water storage and electricity generating
* Livelihoods – Mentoring students so that they are able to run their own businesses

Getting There & Costs
Getting to Karatara from outside of South Africa involves flying into either Johannesburg or Cape Town and then taking a flight to George. The airport at George is 45 minutes from Eden Campus by car. You can either hire a car at George Airport or we will pick you up but remember this could leave you in a rural community with no way of seeing other gems of the famous Garden Route. Airfares can be found on the Internet. No financial contribution towards project costs is expected however you will be required to cover your own living costs. The average daily cost of a B&B or Self-Catering unit that sleeps two (and we really welcome couples) is R300 and car hire for a small car is about R160 per day.

To download our plans for 2008, click here

For fuller information on any aspect of Eden Campus please contact Graham Lashbrooke in Karatara on graham@edencampus.co.za or directly on +27-44-356-2789.

Labels: Eden Campus, Entrepreneurship

We live in very cool times.

I post a comment to Guy Kawasaki’s How to Change the World Blog and received a comment to my comment from Mark Grimes. The next thing you know, I’m talking with Mark on the phone, discussing entrepreneurial efforts in Africa. He’s a founder and activist of http://www.ned.com/ - a social network doing good things.

Mark is an amazing fellow – and Ned is a great community. Please, please check it out. Get involved.

I’m heading down to Eden Campus in Karatara South Africa to help the students set up blogs. The goal is to link their educational experiences and entrepreneurial visions with the rest of the world. Google Adsense revenue would support their school and tuition. Other students from around the world could participate.

If you have any ideas, please drop me a note.

Labels: Eden Campus, Entrepreneurship