New to $20 Boss.

I want to run the $20 Boss program. What do I need to do? Where do I start?

The first step is to register to receive all the free resources and toolkits (Full Toolkit, Lite Toolkit and Five Step Toolkit) via the form here. Once approved you’ll then be able to access the resources and toolkits via Young Change Agents Entrepreneurial Learning Hub platform. You’ll probably want to check out the Introduction and Curriculum Mapping resources to plan how the program will fit into your class.

Are the $20 Boss resources available online?

Yes, the resources are available via Young Change Agents Entrepreneurial Learning Hub platform. This platform has online learning modules, discussion forums, and a variety of incredible resources for $20 Boss and other entrepreneurial programs.

When can I start the program and when must it be finished by?

It’s really up to you and your school to find the best time that works, we have schools that run $20 Boss across terms 1-4.

How do I apply for funding to receive the $20 for students?

You can apply for funding for your students to access the $20 loan to deliver $20 Boss by signing up here. Young Change Agents have a fund for schools with an ICSEA score under 1,100 to utilise this funding.

I feel like this would be great to be built into an existing community / entrepreneurship / innovation subject. Is it ok for $20 Boss to be part of that?

We find this a very common way to deliver the program, by working with existing plans for the year. Looking at the feedback from previous years, one of the greatest strengths of the program was that it is incredibly flexible and adaptable to work with other lessons and subjects. Go for it! Keep us in the loop – we are always looking to collaborate!

I’m homeschooling or a youth worker. Can I still participate?

Of course! The more the merrier. We are seeing an increase year on year on community groups, alternative education and local organisations utilising the program with the young people they work with.

How does the $20 loan work?

Each student receives a loan for $20 to create their social enterprise idea which is fund-raised by your school. At the completion of the program, students pay back the $20 with a $1 legacy fee. Money that has been self-fundraised through your school can then be used for the program the following year or donated to charity.

Can the students work in groups or do they have to fly solo?

Where possible, we recommend students work in teams so they can develop key enterprise skills such as teamwork, communication, collaborative problem-solving and project management through working as a team. However, the program will work with teams or students working as individuals.

Do the students have to stop the business at the end of the program?

With the rise of internet platforms for small businesses to sell their wares, we’ve seen an increase in students continuing their businesses past the formal closure of the program; it’s completely up to the students.

I would love to chat to other teachers and schools who have delivered, or are delivering the program, is it ok to be connected with them?

Once you have registered for the program you will be invited to join our $20 Boss Educator Facebook group where you will be able to share program experiences with other teachers delivering $20 Boss.

Is this program social impact-focused?

Yes, the first half of the program focuses on the social impact of businesses. All Young Change Agents programs focus on educating youth on social entrepreneurship.

I'm not a teacher but I want to run this program, is that okay?

The program is available for free to teachers to deliver with their students within their schools. If you don’t meet this criteria and would like to deliver $20 Boss as an organisation or non-teachers please apply to access the resources here. We may ask you for additional information to confirm how you’ll be delivering the program before providing access though.

My students have already learnt some design thinking already. How does this fit in?

The program ‘follows’ the design thinking method. It’s not designed to teach specifically ‘design thinking’ - your students will benefit from going through the program as a whole but if you think it’s too repetitive because of what they’ve done already then you can adjust it to fit your class. It’s a very flexible program that can be customised based on your students.

What year group should I run this with? What does it work best with?

The program has been mapped to grades 5-10 curriculum and can work best with students within these grades. The Full Toolkit may be better for the higher year levels as it goes into more depth and the Lite and Five Step Toolkits may be better suited to primary schools. At the end of the day though it’s really up to you and what you think is best for your students.

I don’t want to run module x - is this okay?

The program is completely customisable so if you decide to skip a module that’s okay as long as you’re covering the majority of content within the toolkits available for each stage.

I don’t want to do the trade fair - are there other options to finishing the program?

Real trading is an essential part of the $20 Boss program, it’s needed to build financial capacity for your students. It doesn’t have to be a trade fair specifically, it could also be an online market, or students individually trading for a specific time frame. If you can’t complete this aspect of the program another Young Change Agents program may be better suited for your students.

I want to run this in a subject you haven’t linked into the curriculum. Is that okay?

If you can find a way to map the $20 Boss program into other subjects go for it. We’d love to learn from your experiences and if this would be helpful for other students it can be shared in the eLearning forum.

Currently Using $20 Boss.

We have completed the $20 Boss program in term 1 but didn’t complete the trading period. What should we do next?

We recommend completing the program in its entirety, including the trading period, as we believe students gain valuable enterprise skills by trading with real money and customers. Feel free to hold off on the trading period until your school is ready to do so.

Our school would like to withdraw from the program due to the current situation and/or school shutdown. What should we do next?

We understand that in the current climate it might not be possible to deliver the $20 Boss program at your school. No action is required to withdraw from the program. You are welcome to continue accessing the teacher toolkit and any of our resources.

Can my colleagues get access to the $20 Boss resources?

Yes, please tell them to complete this form to get access.

Do we need to report on the students' projects?

At the end of each school year we’ll send out a survey to all teachers to get feedback and reporting information on the programs held that year. We encourage you to complete the survey to gather important information on the $20 Boss program. In addition to this survey we’d love to see students amplifying the impact of their projects by uploading them to the Young Change Agents website as a student project here.

How do students pay back the $20?

The idea is that students pay back the $20 at the completion of the program with a $1 legacy fee. Money that has been self-fundraised through your school can then be used for the program the following year or donated to charity.

Money loaned from Young Change Agent can be completed at the end of the program. Once you are ready to return the funding please email hello@youngchangeagents.com stating the total amount you are returning. We will then issue you an invoice.

There are no repercussions if the students do not make a profit or do not make back all their money. Please return what you are able.