Impact Innovators: Practice Enterprises for Social Change
Entrepreneurship has the potential to address some of today’s most pressing social challenges – from the climate crisis and labour market inequalities to social inclusion. When built on responsible and sustainable principles, it can create long-term positive impact not only for communities, but also for the economy as a whole. Through the Erasmus+ project Impact Innovators: Practice Enterprises for Social Change, we connect entrepreneurship education with social innovation and show young people that entrepreneurship can be a tool for positive social change.
Socially responsible entrepreneurship is no longer just an option – it is becoming a necessity. Companies that integrate solutions to social challenges into their business models strengthen their competitiveness, become more attractive to employees and customers, and contribute to a more sustainable future. Together with our partners, we therefore develop innovative approaches and educational tools that support students and educators in building entrepreneurship with positive social impact.
What does entrepreneurship focused on solving social challenges mean?
Businesses address environmental, social and economic issues and seek innovative solutions that respond to the needs of people and communities.
Focus on real-world challenges
Entrepreneurship creates value not only for the company itself, but also for society as a whole through fair treatment of employees, customers and partners.
Ethical entrepreneurship
Businesses consider the long-term impact of their activities, minimise negative effects on the environment and contribute to a fairer market.
Sustainability
and responsibility
Collaboration with civil society and public institutions
Businesses work with civil society organisations, public institutions and experts to develop systemic and long-term solutions.
Impact Innovators: Practice Enterprises for Social Change
Co-funded by the European Union and implemented in partnership with the German practice enterprise centre BFZ Essen and the Slovak game-based organisation Impact Games, the project builds on long-term efforts to transform entrepreneurship education at upper secondary schools. The aim of the project is to support young people in identifying social and environmental challenges through practice enterprises and developing entrepreneurial solutions with positive impact. The project strengthens their critical thinking, creativity, teamwork and sense of responsibility, preparing them for an active role in society and the labour market. Impact Innovators focuses on improving the quality of entrepreneurship education in Slovakia and Germany by integrating game-based and experiential learning methods into teaching. Through these approaches, students learn to connect economic thinking with social context and to understand entrepreneurship as a tool for positive change.
Educational tools
for modern entrepreneurship education
In cooperation with our partners BFZ Essen and Impact Games, we have developed educational tools that respond to the needs of contemporary entrepreneurship education at upper secondary schools. These tools enrich traditional entrepreneurship teaching with social and environmental perspectives and help students connect economic thinking with real-world challenges they encounter in everyday life.
StartUp for Good
An educational game for practice enterprises
StartUp for Good is an educational game for upper secondary schools that shows how entrepreneurship can be an effective tool for addressing social and environmental challenges. The game guides students through the entire process – from identifying real-world challenges such as social inequalities, climate change, food waste, fast fashion, mental health, housing affordability or plastic pollution, to designing entrepreneurial solutions that create value not only economically, but also socially. Team-based work encourages discussion, critical thinking and reflection on the values that entrepreneurship can be built upon.
The game is designed to be easily accessible and simple to use in various educational settings. It can be downloaded free of charge from our website and printed in A4 format, either in colour or black and white. Participants work with printed cards that are cut out and used according to the instructions. This format allows for quick and flexible use – simply download, print and cut.
StartUp for Good is available for free download in Slovak, English and German.
StartUp for Good
Learning Kit for Responsible and Innovative Entrepreneurship
This set of tools provides practical insights and activities for anyone interested in developing entrepreneurial thinking with social and environmental impact. It includes an overview of selected social challenges, explanations of key concepts from the field of social innovation, and a practical tool for identifying and defining the business focus of a practice enterprise.
The handbook also introduces innovative educational approaches such as game-based learning, project-based learning and the use of the Lean Canvas when developing entrepreneurial solutions. It can be used as a standalone resource for those interested in responsible and sustainable entrepreneurship, while also serving as a complementary tool to the educational game StartUp for Good, supporting systematic work with social challenges throughout the school year.
The StartUp for Good handbook is available for free download in Slovak, English and German.
Why this project matters
It helps young people understand that entrepreneurship can have positive social and environmental impact.
It supports the development of entrepreneurial models that respond to real societal challenges.
It introduces innovative teaching methods that foster creativity, critical thinking and responsibility.
What we achieved
Experiential learning tools enriched entrepreneurship education with social and environmental perspectives and real-world challenges, making entrepreneurship more relevant to students’ everyday experiences.
Innovation in entrepreneurship education
Young people began to see entrepreneurship not only as a path to profit, but also as a way to respond to social and environmental challenges. Entrepreneurship became a tool for finding solutions, not an end in itself.
A shift in how entrepreneurship is perceived
Within practice enterprises, students developed ideas focused on issues such as poverty and inequality, climate change, mental health and housing affordability, combining economic thinking with social impact.
Support for responsible entrepreneurial ideas
The project contributed to the development of critical thinking, creativity, teamwork and responsible decision-making – skills that young people can apply in entrepreneurship as well as in further education and working life.
Development of key future skills
The project connected experiences from Slovakia and Germany and supported the exchange of innovative approaches to entrepreneurship education. Educational tools were shared through European entrepreneurship networks.
International cooperation and knowledge exchange
Transforming entrepreneurship education through social challenges
Impact Innovators builds on long-term efforts to connect entrepreneurship education with real societal challenges. It shows that entrepreneurship can be taught in a way that develops not only skills, but also responsibility and sensitivity towards the world we live in. Beyond developing entrepreneurial competences, the project encourages young people to think about entrepreneurship in broader social and environmental contexts and to respond to challenges that directly affect their lives. Experiential and game-based learning tools created space for practice enterprises and entrepreneurial ideas addressing issues such as social inequalities and poverty, the climate crisis, resource waste and fast fashion, youth mental health, housing affordability, energy poverty and environmental pollution.
Entrepreneurship as a tool for addressing social challenges
The educational game and handbook developed within the Impact Innovators project helped young people perceive entrepreneurship as a practical tool for finding solutions to real social and environmental problems. Instead of working with abstract ideas, they engaged with concrete challenges, resulting in practice enterprises and entrepreneurial concepts that connect economic thinking with responsibility towards society and the environment.
We believe that entrepreneurship education should prepare young people not only for the labour market, but also for an active role in society. Impact Innovators is part of our long-term vision to support young people in using entrepreneurship to address social and environmental challenges and contribute to a more sustainable future. StartUp for Good helps shape a generation that approaches entrepreneurship responsibly, thoughtfully and with respect for the world they live in.
Partners
Donors
The project Impact Innovators: Practice Enterprises for Social Change (2024-1-DE-02-KA210-VET-000247504) was co-funded by the European Union. The views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or NA BIBB. Neither the European Union nor NA BIBB can be held responsible for them. The project was implemented from September 2024 to December 2025.