Swansea young business brains get new opportunities thanks to crowdfund project

A fundraising drive using the Swansea Council scheme has hit its target and now aims to expand city-wide primary schools competition Swansea Primary Enterprise Challenge. New initiative Crowdfund Swansea is set to help young people hone their skills as entrepreneurs.

Run by Swansea’s Young Dragons organisation, this sees teachers and businesses come together to help pupils from dozens of schools take a creative idea from the drawing board to market.

In around seven months on the crowdfunding website, the project has attracted more than 30 financial support pledges, totalling around £18,500. This included a Swansea Council pledge of £5,000 and a Welsh Government pledge of £2,000.

Andrew Stevens, the council’s cabinet member for business improvement and performance, said: “I applaud all involved with the Swansea Primary Enterprise Challenge for this great effort.

“This council crowdfunding initiative is only around seven months old but is already giving residents new facilities and services.

“The projects – including this one from Young Dragons – are rooted in our communities and are driven for people in those communities.

“They all offer something important and I hope that many other schemes find success through Crowdfund Swansea.”

Sue Poole, of Young Dragons, said: “I thank all those who donated to our project through Crowdfund Swansea.

“The process was a real eye-opener; we’ve never used crowdfunding before and our success shows how we can gather support from right around the city – not just from the excellent local businesses we ask for sponsorship.”

Young Dragons work with teachers, parents and businesses to educate them on how to encourage young people to be enterprising, ambitious and resourceful.

It was founded and funded by business and education professionals with experience creating and delivering educational solutions into primary schools and higher education.

Their Swansea Primary Enterprise Challenge sees young entrepreneurs use skills they learn at school in the competitive world of business. The competition began several years ago with six schools – and this year has around 50 schools on board.

Crowdfund Swansea allows Swansea residents to raise funds for community projects.

Launched by the council last winter, it is backed by specialist funding organisation Spacehive.

Crowdfund Swansea initiatives are showcased on the project website as they bid for public support.

Successful projects will be in addition to schemes already delivered by the council. Crowdfund Swansea complements the council’s regeneration work, specifically that by partnership body Regeneration Swansea.

Successful groups so far have included Pontarddulais Cricket Club, the Friends of Hafod-Morfa Copperworks, the Friends of the City of Swansea Botanical Complex and the Swansea Bay and Gower Beach Clean Stations project.