Members are between 18+ years old and are refugees, orphans, street children, former child soldiers, former inmates, former prostitutes, or young people from other marginalized and poor backgrounds. They have dropped out of school and society has labeled them as useless. Many have started to believe this label. The innovation museum has proven that they can flourish if given responsibilities and a space to unfold. Scholars transform their own personal tragedies into a social enterprise, disrupting the root causes of social problems. The youth does not leave with a certificate, but instead with their own employment.

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The social innovation museum transforms marginalized youth into social entrepreneurs through a cost-effective and  freesponsible community approach. The museum unleashes and nurtures the intrinsic drive within each of its “scholars.” Tailor-made empowerment stages and self-management processes support scholars to define their own path and put the power of education in their own hands. Enabled as changemakers, scholars often turn challenges into opportunities to make a sustainable living out of what they are passionate about.

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Most scholars do not have prior work experience or degrees but come from vulnerable backgrounds. This is why the initial “Confusion Stage” constitutes an “un-learning” training to overcome limiting believes, unleash potentials and set goals. After, competencies are gained freesponsibly: everyone creates their own curriculum through the roles taken over. The skills and experiences relevant for designing their future lives are acquired, while everyone leads a part of the innovation Community.  An individual, for example, is in charge of water in  the Community. If no water is available, the role holder will need to solve the problem, create new solutions, potentially plan better for the next month, budget, monitor, evaluate and further her skills. She gains the practical experiences needed to run her own social enterprise in the future and grows on a personal and professional level. Life-Coaching breaks down the individually set goals into actionable steps. Regular training sessions transmit further supportive tools from established to new scholars.

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While taking up roles, new ideas and teams form naturally. The difficult backgrounds of most members often become the driving force for the creation of social enterprises that tackle its root causes. The museum provides mentoring of the ideation process through Design Thinking, the lean startup approach and customer discovery. The teams take the idea through various iteration cycles in bootcamps until a social business model is validated and traction gained. Enterprises are then incorporated and enter the innovation Global Accelerator, which supports their growth, the creation of further jobs and the scaling of the social and environmental impact.

The quality lies in the hands-on practical application of skills through self-management. A five-step empowerment process nurtures personal and professional growth in the following way:

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                      Core Values at the Space

 

Trust & Transparency

We see and feel this through e.g.: one on one sessions, morning meeting announcements, financial transparency, Friday progress presentations and tactical meetings with project updates.

• Share knowledge and happiness, they multiply as you share!

• Honesty and transparency make you vulnerable. Be honest and transparent anyway!

Self-Organisation

We see and feel this through e.g.: members setting their own time tables, members taking up roles in Holacracy and fully distributed authority.

• Be your own boss!

• Be responsible and accountable for your actions!

Growth & Achievement

We see and feel this through e.g.: empowerment trainings, comfort zone challenges, mentoring, coaching and scholars achieving their goals.

• Follow your why in every action!

• Pursue your dreams and give your very best!

Equality, Community & Teamwork

We see and feel this through e.g.: cleaning together, sharing the same space and resources, lining up together for food, working in circles and teams, appreciating each other in morning meetings, having community events and general meetings.

• Share what you have and create what you don’t have yet!

• Build open and honest relationships by giving empathy, understanding your needs and other’s needs.

Innovation

We see and feel this through e.g. upcycling like bottle construction or eggshell terrazzo and innovative enterprises being born at.

• Be creative and create solutions!

• Start small and start now with what you already have!