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Sowing the Seeds of Change

11/02/2010

60 pupils and teachers gathered at Bedales School to discuss how an ethical approach and business skills can be combined.

Keynote speaker Reed Paget, Chief Executive of Belu Water, told delegates how he was inspired by Kofi Annan to switch careers from journalist to social entrepreneur to do something about the global environmental time-bomb. Educated at the same school as Bill Gates, Seattle born Reed described how, through launching an ethical water company, he decided to appeal directly to consumers and use public opinion expressed through market share to drive change. Re-investing all profits in clean water projects, his bottled water was the first carbon-neutral product in Tesco, and Reed has successfully influenced blue chip companies like Coca Cola and Danone to change their packaging following Belu’s introduction of corn-based plastic bottles.

Keith Budge, Headmaster Bedales Schools, stated: 

“Many of our students are passionate about environmental and social issues. We wanted to work with like-minded schools to identify what we can do collectively to get students thinking about social enterprise and to understand better the connection between social impact and business.”

Andrew Fisher, Headmaster Frensham Heights added:

“This year we wanted our shared conference to stimulate students to question how we can move to a society that is more ethically driven and away from a world in which greed and self-interest are too often the main motivations for success.  It is schools like Frensham and Bedales that have for generations been at the forefront of producing open minded, flexible and innovative young people.  We need to ensure that when this generation of students become the country’s leaders and opinion formers they are equipped to lead change.”

Delegates were inspired by Laurence Guinness, Head of Campaigns at Kids Company. The charity was founded by social entrepreneur Camila Batmanghelidjh in 1996 to support vulnerable children, and was awarded the Liberty and Justice Human Rights Award. Other expert speakers included Nick Temple of the School for Social Entrepreneurs, Kate Casey of Young Enterprise and Phil Tulba of Enterprise UK.

Celebrate the Difference was the second annual conference of more innovative independent schools where students and teachers meet to share ideas and good practice, organised jointly by Bedales and Frensham Heights schools.

Ideas emerging from the conference included: ethical procurement of products and services by schools; development of school-based mini enterprises; better understanding of influencing, lobbying and communications to create change; more meetings of schools to exchange ideas and strengthen voice; and working more closely with the third sector.

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