Defining “entrepreneurship”

Many different dimensions and worlds open up when we talk about entrepreneurship. This word is transformed in many ways. It depends on who says it, in what context and what intention you go to use. Each person has a different concept in his or her mind related to the moment in life. Similar visions in some cases, but flexible according to each person’s experience.

In the parENTrepreneurs project we discover, research, discuss and share a vision of entrepreneurship linked to the family environment, with education as a way to provide our children with the entrepreneurial skills that will shape them into people with integrity, resilience and the ability to adapt to a constantly changing future.

We often hear the word “entrepreneurship” linked to the business world and to a profile of a successful person, with good ideas and the ability to work to achieve specific objectives. If we adapt or turn towards families and children, we are betting on a closer and more inclusive entrepreneurship. The word inclusion is very important at this moment, as it allows us to see entrepreneurship as something within everyone’s reach and with the need to bring the right skills and abilities as insurance for a quality education based on entrepreneurial competence.

How can we  focus our idea of entrepreneurship in order to identify it and work on it in family education?

Entrepreneurship as a vital and positive attitude makes us take advantage of our children’s passions and preferences from within the family, also attending to our best version as mothers, fathers, tutors and members of the educational community. Identifying success and also calm or failure as valid phases of learning. And to maintain inclusion as a way of building a favourable educational community for all.

We give some keys to explain our proposal of entrepreneurship definition:

– Personal and community growth: Entrepreneurship currently requires people who participate. Active citizenship to face challenges as those posed by the Sustainable Development Goals. Educating children in sustainability, community and environmental awareness will make them people in search of sustainable and innovative solutions.

– Language: Paulo Freire (1970) talks about democratic action resulting from communication and dialogue with his theory of dialogical action. If we want to achieve free and critical learning, we have to create favourable conditions for dialogue in order to generate curiosity and action.

– Environment: in the contents of the parENTrepreneurs platform we can discover how the construction of a family environment favourable to entrepreneurship is essential for children to gain autonomy and find centres of interest. Authors such as Decroly and Montessori talk about how experimentation and channelling education through the observation of interests can lead to a more effective education. Always from an environment based on safety and listening.

If we take into account listening and a horizontal structure in decision making and preferences, we gain support for motivation and the search for solutions in the event of facing the challenges we face. The family as a team will be a launch pad for entrepreneurship.

With all this, we will continue to ask questions and research on the best version of entrepreneurship for the improvement of education in the family, in formal education and in all settings, as our inclusive and entrepreneurial point of view makes us non-conformists and explorers.

Photos from CEYE archive.