A group of budding entrepreneurs are aiming to grow a £40 starter fund into the biggest total possible, all in support of a Worcester charity.
The participants, all Business students at the University of Worcester, are taking on St Richard’s Hospice’s Grow Your Dough challenge, a campaign that gives teams a small investment, sponsored by Westbridge Foods, and asks them to increase it through creative and enterprising ideas. Students have a fundraising deadline of mid-December for their challenge, while other participants have until the end of March.
Lynda Griffiths, University Lecturer in Digital Marketing and Enterprise, said: “This is part of their studies, in particular the module Cultivating the Entrepreneurial Mindset, and I can’t think of a better way to push yourself in a more enterprising way.”
Lynda continued: “The workplace mindset is all about adaptability, creativity and resilience, a raft of characteristics which are important for the students’ futures. The challenge will push them out of their comfort zone, and they’ll have to do problem-based learning. I’m keen to allow them to be creative and I’m hopeful they’ll learn the value of teamwork and start to form bonds with St Richard’s”.
The students, who are on a variety of Business degree courses, will be working in groups to grow their starter funds. They’ll be guided by their lecturer, but it’ll be up to them to decide what they want to do.
Second year Business Studies student, Levana Carvalho, said: “When I found out it was St Richard’s Hospice, it meant a lot to me because my grandad passed away last year, and we had the Hospice helping us out.”
Levana added: “I have to make sure I’m doing a good job, I’m very motivated by that and my grandad is my inspiration, I want to do it for him.”
The students have also undergone a psychometric test to determine their entrepreneurial mindset at the start, and lecturer Lynda Griffiths plans to repeat it at the end of the challenge.
Jude Malsbury, second year Business Management student, said: “It’s a bit different to all the other modules. It’s a good opportunity to learn, and I can use these skills in the future if I want to do something on my own or work for a charity doing these sorts of events.”
Ria Simons, Corporate Fundraising Lead for St Richard’s Hospice, who handed over the cash, said: “We’re absolutely delighted to have the students on board raising much-needed funds for our care, while developing their business skills.
“It’s important to engage with younger audiences as they are the fundraisers and leaders of the future. We hope that after this experience they will continue to champion hospice care, and the need to support it, for many years to come!”
For more information on the Grow Your Dough challenge, visit the St Richard’s Hospice website: https://www.strichards.org.uk/event/grow-your-dough/