School pupils create and sell a very special edition of The Big Issue

Children from 14 schools across Scotland will today try their hand at selling a very special edition of The Big Issue magazine that some of their pupils took part in creating.

The Big Issue and Social Enterprise Academy partnered to produce the special edition of the magazine, holding a creative session with 15 pupils aged 9-16 from four schools at our editorial headquarters, based on Bath Street in Glasgow on Tuesday 5th March. The result was a special, social enterprise inspired supplement, running in all copies of the Scottish edition, with additional copies being sold by children in 14 schools across Scotland on the day the magazine traditionally goes on sale.

The SEA runs the Social Enterprise Schools programme, which gives students a hands-on experience in running a business with a social purpose. The SEA has now supported over 1,000 schools across Scotland to set up pupil-led social enterprises.

SEA2

Pupils from a handful of school social enterprises (Bellahouston Academy, Mary Russell School, Pirie Park Primary School and St Joseph’s Primary School) stop by the Big Issue editorial office to present their businesses, learn about the magazine and try their hands at editing the magazine. Image: Jamie McFadyen

Russell Blackman, MD of The Big Issue, said: “We are so excited to be partnering with the Social Enterprise Academy.  It was brilliant to work so closely with an investee of our social investment arm, Big Issue Invest, in order to offer a truly special run of the magazine for our Scottish readers.

“The magazine has been written, edited and sold by the pupils – a reflection of the pupil-led nature of the schools programme that SEA runs so successfully, which empowers young people to take action about the social issues that matter to them.”

They are solving these issues by running their own sustainable social enterprises,

Neil McLean, Chief Executive, Social Enterprise Academy, said: “The schools special magazine is giving Scotland’s young people a platform to shout about the issues that they care about – creatively showing how they are solving these issues by running their own sustainable social enterprises.

sea3

The cover of the magazine’s next issue and the special supplement

“Through taking part in Social Enterprise Schools, pupils are empowered to take action and affect real social change in their communities. As well as developing key employability and entrepreneurship skills for the future, our young people are inspiring other young people as far away as Australia, to develop socially entrepreneurial solutions to the challenges facing our world today.”

The Big Issue, sold by vendors to lift themselves out of poverty, is available to buy across the UK for £2.50. The special edition will be available to buy from March 18^th-24^th in the following schools:

• Bellahouston Academy, Glasgow
• Carmunnock Primary School, Glasgow
• Fortrose Academy, Highlands & Islands
• Inverness High School, Highlands & Islands
• Kilpatrick School, West Dunbartonshire
• Kinlochleven High School, Highlands & Islands
• Mary Russell School, Glasgow
• Masterton Primary School, Fife
• Milton of Leys Primary School, Highlands & Islands
• Pirie Park Primary School, Glasgow
• Pitcoudie Primary School, Fife
• St Albert’s Primary School, Glasgow
• St Joseph’s Primary School, Glasgow
• Tulliallan Primary School, Fife