Innovation Camp App

Learning to do business with a new Innovation Camp App

Latvia

RIGA STATE GYMNASIUM NO.3, LATVIA

1. Our school

Riga State gymnasium No.3 offers general primary and secondary studying programmes. Secondary studying programmes include Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Technical Profile  (Mathematics, Physics; Mathematics, Chemistry, Biology, English; Mathematics, English, Economics, Commerce) and Vocational Profile (Commerce, Mathematics and three foreign languages including English; Art, Design, Mathematics, Physics and English; International Relations, Commercial Diplomacy, Economics, Mathematics, three foreign languages including English; European languages, Communication, three foreign languages including English).

Riga State gymnasium No.3 has always been looking for new ways how to involve students in the political and social life of Latvia and Europe. The school is often visited by the political leaders and government members of the country such as the President of Latvia A. Berzins, the Mayor of Riga N. Usakovs, the Chairperson of Saeima S. Aboltina, the European Commissioner for Development at the European Commission A. Piebalgs, who meet the students and discuss the current economic and political issues. Our school has been taking part in other projects organised by the EU (for instance, “Euroscola”) and has been attending events, workshops, seminars and conferences carried out by the EU House in Riga. The current objective of the gymnasium is to become a remarkable European school which offers its students a quality education alongside with raising its students as distinguished citizens of their own country and the European Union. The students who are studying the economic programme write and defend their business plans individually and found their own companies or establish Ltd. A couple of years ago Ministry of Education approved the Business English study programme submitted by the teachers of our school and since 2013 Business English has been taught as one of the subjects in secondary school.

  • Number of students: 812 students
  • Number of staff: 83 teachers and 33 support staff

 2. Entrepreneurship at our school

Riga State Gymnasium No.3 has been taking part in national and international school projects for many years and has become an important partner in the field of entrepreneurship education and research. The school promotes entrepreneurship competencies in many ways, such as with different studying programmes and a wide range of school projects it participates in.

The school provides its students with practical experience in business education thus helping them develop their entrepreneurial skills, which is seen as one of the main objectives in the current economic situation. Each year the students of Riga State gymnasium No.3 participate in the school and city Trade Fair offering the customers self-made products and services as well as compete in the online business simulation game ‘Titan’ testing their skills in running a business. In addition to the above mentioned strategic game, the students also play ‘Time for Business’, a table game which helps students develop their entrepreneurial skills by letting them try out the role of a business leader.

The school has been collaborating with such organisations and institutions as Junior Achievement, BAFF Leadership Programme, Riga Business School, the University of Latvia, Business High School ‘Turība’ and The Bank Academy.

On November 7th 2018 Riga State gymnasium No.3 received the Entrepreneurial School Award, which is an annual recognition, led by JA Europe aiming to provide a supportive and motivational framework to guide schools, headmasters and teachers from across Europe in their entrepreneurial learning initiatives. The schools have been assessed at national level by special committees composed of JA national offices and their national education authorities. They scored the highest in their countries against key indicators promoting the sustainability of entrepreneurship education: the quality of the school’s strategy, the allocation of appropriate resource, the existence of relevant teacher training, the engagement of local and business communities, and the extent of the school’s best practice network.

 3. Our experience with international projects

  • Erasmus + project ‘Fit for Job: Orientation to career and university studies at secondary schools’ (Project Number: 2014-1-DE03-KA201-001248 2;  Name of Applicant: Progymnasium Altshausen, Germany); 2014-2016 Strategic Partnership school sector (KA2)
  • Erasmus + project ‘ Learning to do business in Europe through participating in Gründercamps – for young entrepreneurs in Norway, Latvia and Sweden’ (Project Number: 2014-1-NO01-KA201-000386; Name of Applicant: Foss videregaende skole, Norway); 2014-2016 Strategic Partnership school sector (KA2)
  • European Commission, Erasmus+ project ‘Innovation Cluster for Entrepreneurship Education 2015- 2018.’ Project led by JA-YE Europe in collaboration with Ministries of Education (Estonia, Finland, Italy, and Latvia) and Enterprise of Flanders, tree research institutes (Easter Norway Research Institute, The foundation for Entrepreneurship – Young Enterprise Denmark, Josip Juraj Stroossmayer University of Croatia) and five national JA organizations)
  • Erasmus+ project “New Areas for Foreign Language Learning”(Project Number: 2017-1-ES01-KA219-038520; Name of Applicant: IES Pedro Mercedes,Spain); 2017-2019 Strategic Partnership school sector (KA2)
  • Erasmus + project “Explore, research, communicate (EXRECO) – encouraging talents of students at upper secondary schools in the field of MINT” (Project Number: 2017-1-DE03-KA219-035514__3; Name of Applicant: Wieland-Gymnasium); 2017-2019 Strategic Partnership school sector (KA2)
  • Erasmus + project ‘ Learning to do business with a new innovation camp app’ (Project Number:  No 2018-1-NO01-KA201-038858; Name of Applicant: Foss videregaende skole, Norway); 2018-2020 Strategic Partnership school sector (KA2)
  • Erasmus + project “Developing Teaching Competencies in Riga State Gymnasium No. 3” (Project Number: 2017-1-LV01-KA101-035230; Name of Applicant: Riga State Gymnasium No.3, Latvia); 2017-2018 Strategic Partnership school sector (KA1)
  • Erasmus + project “Developing Managementand Teaching Competencies in Riga State Gymnasium No. 3” (Project Number: 2018-1-LV01-KA101-046804; Name of Applicant: Riga State Gymnasium No.3, Latvia); 2018-2019 Strategic Partnership school sector (KA1)

We have a collaboration Agreement between Riga State gymnasium No.3 and JA-YE Europe. Apart from the above mentioned projects Riga State gymnasium No.3 has been taking part in Nordplus and other twinning projects for many years.

4. Our participating in this project

Five members of staff and are currently involved in the Erasmus + project «Learning to do Business with a New Innovation Camp App» (i.e. two teachers of Business English and three teachers of Economics and Commerce including the school principle Andris Priekulis). Six secondary school students from Commerce model took part in the first innovation camp held in Oslo, Norway in October 2018. Another nineteen students will be chosen (based on the quality of their pitch and motivation letter, as well as command of the English language) to take part in the innovation camps in Sweden, Latvia and Italy.

Riga State gymnasium No.3 was responsible for hosting the first transnational meeting in Riga in September 2018. The third innovation camp will be held in Riga, Latvia in October 2019. In April 2020 a Multiplier event will be organised in cooperation with JA Latvia. Other dissemination activities will be carried out as well.

Riga State gymnasium No.3 is in charge of following up all the students’ presentations of their learning experience during all innovation camps.

5. Our webpage / facebook / contact information