LightMySky

Social Enterprise

Using business skills to help others or solve social and environmental problems; making money AND making a difference; examples of social enterprises

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What a learner can do afterwards

  • Explain what a social enterprise is in their own words (a business that helps people or the planet)
  • Give an example of a real social enterprise or charity shop
  • Suggest a social enterprise idea that could help their school or community

The lesson

You already know how to come up with a business idea. A social enterprise takes that idea one step further. It is a business that earns money and helps people or the planet at the same time. The people who run it care about both things, not just about getting rich.

Try it together

Think about a charity shop. It sells clothes, toys, and books that people donate. The shop still needs to earn money to pay its bills, just like a regular business. But instead of making one owner rich, the extra money goes to help causes like feeding families or protecting animals.

Runs thebusiness50Helps thecause50
A social enterprise splits its earnings between running the business and helping people or the planet.
Good to know

Look for the cause. If a business tells you it exists to fix a problem, like cleaning oceans or training workers, and it also sells something to earn money, you have probably found a social enterprise.

A social enterprise sells something to earn money, then uses that money to help people or the planet.

Watch it

Where it sits

Where this leads

Jobs that lean on this skill. Follow one to see everything it is built on.

Then practise

8 questions wait behind this lesson, each with its answer explained. Every answer feeds the sky: stars light as they are learned, and dim when it is time to come back.

Social Enterprise · Life Skills, ages 9 to 11 · LightMySky