Business in the Classroom

It helps instill a sense of identity and pride in a lot of aboriginal communities,” says Pratt.

When the Martin Initiative is going through the selection process to partner with a new school, Santoro says that they won’t choose a school or a district until they know that the local aboriginal community will agree to be involved.

“They’re introduced to a whole group of community leaders,” says Santoro. “Whether it be the teacher, the principal, the school, their chief, the whole community – when they’re introduced and they feel the support around the room saying, ‘we’re investing in you, and you can do it,’ it’s a very powerful message.”

Members of the community, often elders, will give presentations to the students, and Santoro says that this is essential for not only giving the students a sense of their culture and history, but also to show relatable figures and examples of strong leaders.

Following his success with The Boom Box competition, Pratt’s company has grown to the point where he’s able to invest in other start-ups he thinks have potential. He’s restructuring his company to allow for expansion, to bring in partners and to keep giving back to the community.

“If I wasn’t in school and didn’t get my education, I don’t think I would have been able to have developed a successful business as I have. It helps you think outside the box and be able to effectively judge risk, and figure out what opportunities are really worth taking the risk and which ones aren’t,” he says.

“I want to keep it growing and keep engaging other aboriginal people.”

Bio: Sarah Hartwick is a freelance writer and an avid traveler. In her spare time, she works with Schools Building Schools, a growing NGO that’s striving to spread access to education throughout Sub-Saharan Africa. Check out her blog to follow her adventures around the globe.