School social enterprise stars take up the Big Issue sell-off challenge!

“Big Issue for sale!” rang out loud and clear on playgrounds across Scotland this week, as pupils stepped up to the challenge of becoming Big Issue sellers to raise money for their school social enterprises.

St Bernard’s Primary in Glasgow were among the most vocal of our junior sales force. And they were also among a group of pupils who visited The Big Issue Editorial HQ in Glasgow last week too.

They met with our vendor Anabel, who answered their questions and shared her experiences – and her top tips for selling the magazine. 

The young social entrepreneurs, whose school social businesses are set up through Social Enterprise Schools also met with the magazine’s Art Director Mark Neil, and asked him what it takes to become a designer, and what he loves best about working for The Big Issue. 

So inspired were the pupils from St Denis’ Primary School in Glasgow – whose Team TALENT social enterprise squad also produce their own school magazine to sell – that they decided to create their own version of recent Big Issue covers. We were very impressed by their artistic and design skills!

We also welcomed students from Greenhills Primary, in East Kilbride, who were among the 13 schools featured in our special schools takeover edition of The Big Issue. 

And Lornshill Academy, in Clackmannanshire, were delighted to be featured in the magazine too, selling copies in school to support their social enterprise, Lornshill Café.

Students at Kelso High put on an impressive display to promote the magazine’s feature on their social enterprise at their Careers Fayre this week, and copies were selling fast!

On sale until Sunday across the UK from Big Issue vendors the magazine contains a 24-page supplement dedicated to showcasing the very best and brightest school social enterprises not just in Scotland but across the UK and in the growing international movement of young social entrepreneurs.

Supported by Social Enterprise Academy International our special profiled the growing number of schools working to support their communities in South Africa, Australia, Malaysia and Egypt. 

And while they were at The Big Issue offices our primary school visitors spent time with our colleagues at the International Network of Street Papers, learning about the global impact that street papers have in fighting to lift people out of poverty. 

Our special issue was supported by leading politicians, with MSP Monica Lennon, a leading advocate for campaigning against period poverty in Scotland. She pointed out the fantastic period poverty social enterprise run by Kinross High School and Grangemouth High’s work in glassmaking and retail, which supports Strathcarron Hospice. 

The special edition also gained national media attention, featuring in over 250 articles including in Metro, The Daily Mail, Evening Standard, Independent, The Herald and The Scotsman. 

This is the fourth year that The Big Issue has teamed-up with Social Enterprise Academy, who made sure that our special edition was the star attraction at famous locations.

As Neil McLean, Chief Executive, Social Enterprise Academy, points out, our takeover edition and the energy of all the activities taking place in schools around it are a celebration of the change that can happen when we empower our young people to believe that they are capable of solving the social and environmental issues that keep them up at night.

“The partnership with The Big Issue has become an important calendar moment for everyone at the Social Enterprise Academy. The pupils featured in this year’s magazine are helping to create more sustainable and inclusive communities for all of us, and we want to make sure that every young person has access to this type of hands-on learning experience.”

Find out more about the Social Enterprise Academy at www.socialenterprise.academy/scot