Towards unlocking the potential of India’s youth, Udhyam Learning Foundation (Udhyam), Global Alliance for Mass Entrepreneurship (GAME) and Zilla Parishad Nagpur brought together around 120 students from 30 government-aided schools across Nagpur who have undergone Entrepreneurial Mindsets Development Program (EMDP) to showcase their business projects at EMDP Expo 2024 at Providence School, Nagpur. This event was a showcase of real-world projects done by students, in teams, from grades 9 and 10 as part of the EMDP. This initiative is part of GAME’s collaboration with the Government of Maharashtra on Maharashtra State Entrepreneurship Mission, which aims to create a thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem
The EMDP program, designed by Udhyam, aims to build entrepreneurial mindsets and 21st-century skills in school students to unlock their true potential. The right mindset is critical for the youth in a world where change is accelerating and can enable students to build confidence, create new things, adapt, succeed and achieve their potential. A key element of this initiative is learning by doing, where students ideate, build and implement real-world business projects.
Saumya Sharma, IAS, Chief Executive Officer, Zilla Parishad Nagpur was the chief guest for the event. She interacted with the student teams and being impressed by the progress said “I would like to congratulate the school teachers for ensuring that the Entrepreneurship Mindset Development Program is successful. I would like to congratulate Udhyam Learning Foundation and GAME for starting this program. We see time and again that schools do conduct these programs like science exhibitions but a lot of times they cannot be scaled up and developed into businesses. In this exhibitions, I can see a lot of interesting projects, with a lot of creativity and a lot of practical projects have been brought before us.”
Harish Manwani, Director at Udhyam said “It’s been a great beginning for the EMDP program in Nagpur’s schools. What we saw at this expo was a huge variety of business ideas from 9th and 10th grade students, ranging from tech innovations to local problem-solving. Last year we ran a pilot in 30 schools. We are now in conversations with local authorities and industrialists to expand this EMDP program to many more schools in Nagpur. We sincerely thank Zilla Parishad Nagpur, our partner GAME, school principals, and teachers for their support in effectively implementing the program.”
Yogesh Bhavsar, VP – State Entrepreneurship Mission (Maharashtra), GAME said, “At GAME, we believe in the transformative power of entrepreneurship education. The EMDP Expo 2024 is a testament to the incredible potential within our youth. By nurturing these entrepreneurial mindsets, we are equipping the next generation with the skills and confidence needed to navigate an ever-changing world. We are excited to see the continued growth of this program and aiming to scale this up across the state in coming years with Udhyam.