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Business Leaders: Bearers of Hope to Students?

If you walk into a typical high school and listen to what students are saying, you’ll hear complaints about ‘jumping through hoops’ and doing work that seems irrelevant. At their core, students are worried their education is not preparing them for their future.

According to Gallup’s 2015 Student Poll on the level of hope in students today, more than 1 in 2 students are not hopeful about their future. 34% are classified as ‘Stuck’ and 18% as ‘Discouraged.’

What’s more, 50% of students aren’t engaged in their education. But bring someone into the classroom who represents what their future could be, however, and students start to listen.

Raising up a generation of Generous Leaders takes all of us. One of Big Idea Project’s primary strategies is to intentionally bridge business with education. 

Business leaders can show students what it takes to make it in certain industries. They can open up new worlds of possibility, help students dream new dreams and practically plan for where they want to be after they graduate. Business leaders are the link to helping students look toward their future with hope for who they want to be and what they want to do. Business leaders are an inspiration for the next generation of entrepreneurs who care about merging business with doing good in the world.

Big Idea Project offers opportunities to our sponsors, as well as community members, to mentor Big Idea Project teams who are in the thick of tackling challenging problems and experiencing what it takes to lead well. If you are interested in bridging the gap and bringing hope to high school students, consider how your company can sponsor a school or how you can personally mentor.

It takes all of us to raise up a new generation of generous leaders.