Smartmynd

Here at SmartMYnd we endeavour to solve the issue of children at risk of or experiencing homelessness. We plan on doing this by targeting their education, so they have the opportunity to land a paying job or career to stabilise their future. Our enterprise was was started by two teenage girls who go to school every day and go back to a home afterwards. They were approached by VERGE, a young entrepreneurship program, to design an innovative solution to help 'close the gap' for one of societies marginalised groups. In Brisbane, Australia 17% of homeless people are aged 5-12, the highest percentage of all age groups. These children are not gaining the education necessary to keep up with other children in the schoolyard, due to the lack of school related stationary putting them at a disadvantage, and encouraging them to drop out of school. To help, we are holding fundraisers at primary schools to collect books which we can sell online and at markets across Brisbane, as well as gold coin donations. The money we gain goes towards filling a backpack for a child at risk of or experiencing homelessness with the stationary they need according to his/her year level.