How the experiences of students inspired a programme to encourage entrepreneurs
Dr Tesfaye Gojjie, a business tutor at Study Group’s Royal Holloway, University of London International Study Centre describes how his students motivate his teaching.
“I have been taking advantage of the two days volunteering Study Group kindly give staff to run a series of workshops aimed at supporting and inspiring people to start their own businesses and get into employment, Tesfaye told us. “During my PhD research on Employment and Business I heard lots of stories that really touched me. One man that I interviewed told me his wife didn't even want to introduce him to her family because he was unemployed. This might not have actually been the case, but he certainly felt that way. That was his perception. His unemployed status really affected his family life and self-regard.
“Another told me that at 9 o'clock in the morning, he would go downstairs in his tracksuit to the newsagent to buy the newspaper. Then he used to feel ashamed because he felt that 9am is the time when people should be going to work. He was looking around, thinking about what his neighbours would say because he was supposed to be a working man. It’s very tough for people. It made me really serious about wanting to implement something to help.”
Gradually, Tesfaye developed a training workshop, with the aim of increasing participants’ confidence and getting them into business and employment. He wanted to give them an ‘I can do it’ mentality and reduce their fear. “I knew they had the ability to do something valuable, it's just that they didn't know the way. But I felt I could help to show them.”
He also wanted to help disadvantaged young people. “In my Ethiopian church, I used to see a lot of new mothers. After having their babies, they would be exploited by people for cheap labour. I knew they had good skills, but they were working in very poorly paid menial jobs,” said Tesfaye. “Another area I am interested in is working in young offender institutes, where I have been able to help develop some business skills. In all cases I wanted to show these young people that they don’t need to give up hope. I see my role as being able to tell them that there are always opportunities that they can take advantage of. I tell them it is a fact of life that there are business risks - we talk about those in the workshops - but I also tell them, it's OK: you can do it. This is something I can teach anywhere.”
True that message, Tesfaye has now organised similar programmes in Ethiopia, Kenya, South Africa, the United States and Lebanon.
“The organiser of one of my courses in Ethiopia told me he met one of the women participants on the street and she had a basket of chickens. He asked her what she was doing with them. She said, ‘From now on, I am running my own poultry business. That training really changed my attitude.’ It’s changing attitudes that’s important”.
“Employment is really a very important aspect of self-esteem. It’s not just about the income it brings to our families, but it’s also about our status in society, Tesfaye concludes. “The impact of employment is not just economic, it's social and psychological too.”