Edventure Start-Up Course

A free, 11-week, part-time experience by Edventure:Frome offering young adults (18-35ish) the opportunity to gain real-life experience of setting up a community enterprise in response to a local need on behalf of a local not-for-profit. 

Past Challenges:

Please click here for a 4 minute video of a typical Edventure: Start-Up Challenge. 

Previous student teams have started-up: 

• SHARE – A Library of Things
• Community Fridge: Frome
• The Welshmill Hub
• Remakery: Frome
• Frome Wardrobe Collectve
• Edspace Living
• Frome Community Exhibition
• Loop: Frome

This Challenge:

The theme for this course will be announced by end Nov 2022. It will be centred around working together to build a more hopeful version of the future, addressing climate change and building a more resilient local economy for Frome and beyond.

Who we are looking for:

Are you up for a challenge? Do you want to make a difference in the world? Do you learn best by doing? Do you want to learn how to make ideas happen? To gain skills and expertise in how to get things done as part of a team?

We’re looking for people who are open to working with others from diverse backgrounds and want to learn from each other as much as from the course. It doesn’t matter whether you’ve finished studying at University or dropped out of college, whether you are 18 or 35 years old, whether you are unemployed or want to make a career change.

This course could be of particular interest if you are:

• seeking practical ways to do something that matters
• interested in starting up or working within a business or social enterprise.
• keen to work within the community sector and want to develop leadership and facilitation skills.
• up for trying new things and making something positive happen.

We are looking forward to hearing from anyone who feels that they can both learn from the experience, and bring skills and passion to the project. 

Fees:

There is no fixed course cost, but it isn’t free either. Once you have received a conditional offer after the interview, your challenge will be to help raise funds and resources for the start-up you will be working on. You can set your own target as to how much you think you are able to raise (dependent on circumstances, your support network etc). 

Dates and times:

Start-Up runs for 11 weeks on Monday-Thursday from 9.15am-2.45pm.

Apply:

Please apply by clicking the green “register” button. You’ll receive an autoresponder email. Scroll to the bottom and find the link to arrange an informal interview so that we can confirm whether we can offer you a place. Places are given on a rolling basis – apply early for the best chance to get a place. 

What previous Start-Up students say

Please click here for a 3.5 minute video featuring previous Edventure: Start-Up students.

Facilitator:

Doug Stewart:

Doug is Edventure’s Programmes Lead.  With over ten years’ experience developing and implementing business strategy in both small community based organisations and large charities, Doug is practiced in taking teams from vision and values creation, to brand launch.

As well as a strong background in sustainability, Doug was Head of Outdoor Enterprises for the National Trust and led the central brand team; before becoming a Director at Lemon Drizzle Consultants, a Change Agency specialising in the third sector.

Doug is passionate about sharing his expertise and seeing local business thrive.