REPORT – In June, in Paris, some 400 students from all over France defended their mini-business project during the national competition of the Entreprendre pour apprendre federation.
Middle school, high school, and college students… There were 400 of them on June 6, bringing excitement to the stands of the Charléty stadium in Paris, in the 13th arrondissement.e district, gathered for the opening ceremony of the Mini-enterprises festival. But the joy quickly gave way to the stress of competition. The competing teams scattered across the different rooms to present their project, the fruit of a year of work in their school, to the juries.
Each team has three minutes to convince. This major annual event is organized by Entreprendre pour apprendre. This federation of 17 associations, approved by the Ministry of Education and Youth, works to bring together two worlds: that of the economy and that of school and university.
A big white rabbit
High school students in the science and technology of management and management (STMG) STMG stream and students in the BTS management of SMEs (GPME) at Léonard de Vinci, in Levallois-Perret (Hauts-de-Seine), immediately set the bar very high. They present with Géokids, a small box mounted on a bracelet that is used to locate a child.
The students make their entrance escorted by their mascot, Bobby, a large white rabbit measuring 1.80 meters. The animal does not fail to pique the curiosity of the judges: is it a student or a teacher who has put on this disguise? In any case, the message is clear when they see that Bobby’s effigy adorns the case of the Géokids bracelets, several models of which, in their black case, have been placed on the jury’s table.
Does the product meet a need – this is one of the eight criteria of the jury’s evaluation grid. A young girl explains that if her little brother had worn the bracelet the day he got lost, her family would have saved themselves a great moment of panic. Thanks to Apple’s Airtag technology, Géokids, which requires no subscription or battery, allows a child’s movements to be tracked in real time.
To finish convincing the audience, another student recalls, with a survey to support her, that 70% of parents are worried about the safety of their offspring.And, to avoid putting a mobile phone in the hands of young children too early, running the risk of addiction to social networks, what could be better than Géokids?“, argues a third member of Leonardo da Vinci’s team. It is a way of signifying that their product is responsible, and above all stands out from the competition, another appreciated criterion.
Fight against academic failure
Thanks to the partnership with Millow Paris watches, a range of ten bracelets fits the Géokids case.The principle of the interchangeable bracelet is a way to ensure a regular income“, says another student. Their product is on sale on the website created by the team as well as in the educational store of their high school. Around fifteen pre-orders have already been registered, the team specifies during the quarter of an hour devoted to questions from the jury.
«A few slightly techno projects are starting to emerge, analyses Jérôme Lefèvre.president of Undertaking to Learn France. But, for the past four years, we have especially observed a rise in the environmental and sustainable development aspect in mini-enterprises. When we listen to young people, these concerns are obvious. It is reassuring for the future in their ability to take an interest in real subjects..»
Under the stands, the mini-entrepreneurs have set up stands to display their products. All the stalls, which are also assessed, are well-kept. Students from 6e from the Jean Nicoli college in Propriano (South Corsica) sell cakes and honey sweets, prepared using grandmothers’ recipes, under the name of their mini-business, Cœur de commune.
A helping hand with DIY
They were inspired by an article by Corsica Morning on the desire of seniors to age at home: they focus on strengthening the links between generations by connecting young and old to encourage mutual assistance. With a subscription of 5 euros per month, the former lend a hand with DIY, gardening, or small errands while the elders offer academic support or pass on their know-how.
To promote Cœur de commune, the students organized several events such as a garage sale and a chocolate sale.You might think that our project is more like an association than a company because a company has to make money. But our idea was so popular that we made a nice turnover with all our initiatives.“, assures Ismaël who helps Bernard, a 69-year-old retiree, to tame a laptop.
Supervised by their mathematics teacher Virginie Moneglia, the young Corsicans demonstrate great maturity.We do math a little differently, using spreadsheets to calculate costs and benefits, and the students are very involved.“, assures the teacher.
Fight against academic failure
Webmaster at Bpifrance, Antony Drugeon, who is a member of one of the juries, says:bluffé» by all these projects. “These young people seem to reveal themselves in missions that are not compartmentalized in disciplineshe notes. By turning to action, education takes another form and this type of pedagogy is also a way of combating academic failure.» During the 2023-2024 school year, thanks to Entreprendre pour Apprendre, 35,000 students benefited from the support of mentors – entrepreneurs or company employees – and 1,700 mini-enterprises were created.
«This commitment is part of the company’s societal role in helping young people choose their direction rather than being subjected to it,” underlines Jean-Paul Romet, employment-CSR delegate at EDF and president for the South region of Entreprendre pour Apprendre.This experience opens up perspectives for young people, some even have a revelation at that moment, rejoices Jérôme Lefèvre. Whatever they do, they will have a knowledge of the business process that will stay with them and that they will be able to highlight on their CV..»
