Winners Announced in Student Enterprise of the Year Competition

“The big investments of tomorrow need not be on the stock exchange. They need to be in our schools.” – Sharad Vivek Sagar, founder and CEO of Dexterity Global. This year, high school youth across Colorado, Massachusetts and San Francisco showed that business skills can solve social ills. Through a partnership with the Carson J Spencer Foundation’s FIRE Within program, approximately 1,000 teens developed businesses that both generated revenue while addressing a root cause of suicide and suicidal despair.  This spring, two schools were awarded Social Enterprise of the Year in recognition of their ability to generate profit while creating an impact in the way of youth suicide and awareness efforts.

Since August 2014 40 schools competed in the 7^th annual “FIRE Within Social Enterprise of the Year “competition. In a classroom for credit entrepreneurship and business leadership students worked to create a sustainable business that could make a profit and make a substantial community impact. Since the program has become so large, the competition was divided into two parts this year: new businesses and returning businesses. Business leaders across the U.S. donated their time and knowledge to judge the submitted business plans, including representatives from Johns Manville, Denver Fire Department, Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce, Bank of West, Pacific Mercantile Bank, and Wells Fargo.

“Really, it's been both humbling and inspiring to be a judge in this competition.” Christopher Lierle, volunteer business consultant from Houston and competition judge, said. “It's provided me the opportunity see the students overcome obstacles and conquer this huge task - a challenge that seems more like a graduate school exercise than something high school students could successfully complete.”

Rangeview High School FIRE Within Students

The award for Social Enterprise of the Year in the returning business category was won by Aurora’s Rangeview High School Period 4, led by FIRE Educator Sam Provenzano. After learning students were overwhelmed by academic stress, Rangeview students did two things to tackle the problem. First they created necklaces that had a crystal on it and a note that said “Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow” with the suicide hotline number included. The second part was hosting a carnival where the Denver Fire Department, Carson J Spencer Foundation, and the school’s counselors participated to inform students about suicide and mental health awareness. They had games, donated food, and raffle items for students to partake in.

Walpole High School FIRE Within Students

The award for Social Enterprise of the Year in the new business category was awarded to Walpole High School in Massachusetts, led by FIRE Educator Sarah Gaer. Walpole High decided to start a business creating planners after learning students in their school were stressed due to 75% of the student body participating in one or more extra-curricular activities. The Rebel Planner has customizable aspects for students wanting to express their individuality while also including resources available to students if they need assistance.

“The student's understanding of the needs of their peers and their entrepreneurial solutions to develop communication and fight stigma give me great hope that we can put an end to death by suicide amongst our youth through the efforts and ideas of our youth.” Dafna Michaelson Jenet, President, The Journey Institute and competition judge, said.