Students Embrace Entrepreneurship: GDST's LEAD Program Welcomes 230 Young Innovators.

Innovative Ideas Take Center Stage at GDST’s LEAD 2024 Launch Event.

The  Girls' Day School Trust (GDST)  recently hosted the launch event for LEAD 2024 (Leadership Enterprise Advanced Diploma) in collaboration with LSE Generate, the entrepreneurial arm of the London School of Economics. For the last four consecutive years, the GDST LEAD program has empowered young women by developing essential skills in leadership and entrepreneurship.

Participants are encouraged to come up with innovative business ideas that address pressing global issues such as sustainability, female empowerment, and inequality. GDST LEAD team also successfully proposed initiatives such as an anti-spiking device, a sign language book and friendship program, and a cookbook featuring recipes from local restaurants previously. This year’s launch event has gathered 230 GDST Sixth Form students from 23 schools at LSE in London. The event provided a valuable opportunity for students to network, refine their business concepts, learn about social enterprise, and connect with their LSE entrepreneur mentors.

The event featured a keynote address from Fleur Emery-Rice, who was a Portsmouth High School alumna and founder of REALWORK. He emphasized the transformative power of female entrepreneurship. Students are encouraged to pitch their business ideas confidently even if they don’t have any formal business education. To be a successful entrepreneur it is important to take initiative and practice curiosity to get better results.

During this event, students also participated in two interactive workshops. The first one was led by the improvisation group Hoopla, which focused on enhancing listening skills and agile communication, allowing students to experiment with idea generation in a fun environment. The second workshop, conducted by entrepreneur Nikita Khandwala, delved into social enterprises and concepts like Design Thinking. Here students were encouraged to harness their passions and lived experiences to create impactful ideas that address societal needs.

LSE’s mentorship program, in collaboration with GDST alumnae, selected mentors to support students in their LEAD projects. Key takeaways from this mentorship session included the importance of prototyping, strategies for business growth, and the necessity of being flexible and adaptable to new ideas. Participants benefit from the program in various ways, including refining their business concepts and gaining a broader perspective on opportunities in the entrepreneurial landscape. The LEAD program aims to equip sixth-form students with essential leadership and entrepreneurial skills. This initiative will culminate in a showcase event in March, where students will present their ideas in categories such as sustainability and resilience.

Editor’s Note:

The Girls' Day School Trust's LEAD 2024 program continues to inspire and empower young women by fostering essential leadership and entrepreneurial skills. With a focus on addressing pressing global issues such as sustainability, female empowerment, and inequality, this initiative cultivates innovative thinking among participants. The recent launch event at LSE provided a valuable platform for students to network, refine their business ideas, and gain insights from experienced mentors. Through interactive workshops and mentorship, students are encouraged to harness their passions and lived experiences to create impactful solutions for societal needs. 

Skoobuzz hopes that in the upcoming LEAD program, these young minds will bring forward innovative ideas that contribute successfully to addressing global challenges.