MY OPPORTUNITY

This module is about finding realistic opportunities, that match the individual or shared means of the participants. The better match between opportunity and means, the better chance for a successful business in the long run.

To get as many opportunities as possible, this is a creative ideation process, opening up the minds to see new opportunities.

Ideation is a process that takes time and the participants will go through exercises that will open up their minds and create new ideas or opportunities with different people. They will also have time to get practical about some of the ideas to explore its feasibility.

Bricolage

Together with the concept of effectuation (Sarasvathy) the concept bricolage is very useful in resource constrained environments. The original concept of bricolage was defined in 1967 by Levi-Strauss and the definition was short: “making do with what is at hand”. The Bricolage concept has been refined since then. One definition to be found these days is this: “social bricolage is a process which involves making do, the refusal to be constrained by limitation, improvisation, social value creation, stakeholder participation and persuasion” (Di Domenico, Tracey, & Haugh, 2010).

The main purpose of this step is to make sure the chosen opportunity is feasible and realistic at the same time as being new and innovative in the context. We call it ”Getting the million dollar idea”.

MY

Opportunity

- Ideation

- Finding Your Opportunity (with your means)

The Million Dollar Idea

The objective is for the participants to generate ideas together in different ways and with different people. Furthermore, the participants should have the opportunity to qualify their ideas. The ideation process has three steps with different exercises.

In the following, the steps and exercises will be described. They can be repeated and adjusted to fit the group of people participating in the training.

Exercises A - D are alternative idea generation exercises that you can use if you want to extend the idea generation process.

Building Trust

It is good to do trust building excercises in the ideation process to promote good collaboration in the groups so that the participants are more willing to go into business partnerships. Here are two exercise that builds trust.

Fall excercise: One participant gets up on a table and the other participants stand ready to catch when the participant falls backwards.

Sit down in circle: All must stand close in circle front to back. Everybody sits down on the same time. If one doesn’t trust the circle will break.

Exercise 1creative Bricolage Objective

Before starting the ideation process it is good that the participants spark spark their creative thinking. This can be done with bricolage. The objective of the exercise is for the participants to get hands on experience with bricolage. Therefore, the participants will get an exercise that illustrates how you can use what you have to create something new.

Description

1. Introduce the participants to the concept of bricolage and how it relates to the YC solving problems.

2. Divide the participants into groups of 4 or 5.

3. Hand out specific materials to each group (e.g. soda cans, water bottles/sachets etc.)

4. Ask each group to use their imagination and resources to find a new use of the materials by combining or redesigning them.

5. Ask the participants to show each what they have created.

6. Give the participants examples of how people have upcycled materials that are otherwise seen as useless (upcycling). This needs to be prepared in advance.

EXERCISE 2BRICOLEURS - USING RESOURCES IN NEW WAYS

Objective

The objective of the exercise is for the participants to understand the concept bricolage and support them to start seeing themselves as bricoleurs in their own context. Most of the YCs have very little resources so it can be very helpful if they are able to see what might seem as useless objects and turn it into something new and useful.

Description

1. Ask them to map/identify what resources, means and materials they have access to – or could get access to by using their networkand ask them to discuss how they can use the resources to achieve their dreams/passion or to solve some of the community needs/YC problems. New and surprising business opportunities may arise!

2. The participants will present and the other group can give inputs to the ideas.

Facilitator’s notes - building a ”HOw can we attitude”!

To encourage a we can attitude make sure that you ask: how can we... and get the particpants to answer: we can....

You can also make up a catchy slogan or chant that instill a we can feeling!!