The FIRE Within: Saving Lives Through Business (more info)
Adolph Coors Foundation Sparks a "FIRE"
Pete Coors discusses the generous gift from the Adolph Coors Foundation to The Carson J Spencer Foundation to support The FIRE Within program which takes students through a yearlong course in social entrepreneurship, mental health advocacy and leadership training. The goal of both The Carson J Spencer Foundation and The Adolph Coors Foundation is to promote student social entrepreneurship and to enable students to run enterprises that raise revenue and awareness for suicide prevention.
We believe in the creative power of FIRE: Future Innovative Resilient Entrepreneurs. Through innovation and entrepreneurialism, we inspire young people to find market-based solutions to mental health issues. The Fire Within: Saving Lives through Business takes students through a year-long course in social entrepreneurship, mental health advocacy, and leadership training which results in youth-run social enterprises that raise revenue and awareness for suicide prevention.
Most business skills courses take youth to the plan development stage and end there. The Fire Within helps youth implement their business ideas, which is where the real learning occurs. Mid-way through the year, youth compete for micro-grants to seed fund their enterprises, then receive mentoring from local community leaders as they develop and run their viable businesses. In doing this, youth become bold and independent thinkers, form highly functional and collaborative teams, become caring and empathetic corporate citizens, and resilient mental health advocates.
- Partnership from all communities: Junior Achievement - Rocky Mountain, Inc. provides access to classrooms and the Be Entrepreneurial! curriculum. The Second Wind Fund, Inc. provides free access to quality mental health services for at-risk and uninsured youth. Using our The FIRE Within: Saving Lives through Business curriculum, we integrate these programs to create and support young social entrepreneurs. Teachers and principals actively engage with the classrooms to support these burgeoning social enterprises.
- Enterprises developed by young leaders will exponentially impact more young people. A classroom of 20 will impact over 2,000 other students and community members. This high-impact and transformational approach means that for every one student, another 100 individuals are affected through innovative marketing, social messaging and product purchasing.
- Long before they graduate, youth gain the confidence and passion that will help them become powerful and influential adults. They take ownership of their experiences and futures, and spread the FIRE through their communities.
After conducting a school-wide needs assessment, students at Rangeview High School determined that bullying was the root cause to suicidal ideation at their school. In response to this, they developed a social enterprise selling stylish wristbands that say "I Choose to Live, I Choose to Love." Hidden on the inside of the wristband is the suicide hotline number. In the first two days, they sold out of their first order of 300 wristbands. At their administration's request, they also developed an anti-bullying and suicide prevention curriculum that they deliver to underclassmen. All for an initial micro-grant of $250.
