Surrounded by entrepreneurs.

Although I’m posting this blog post a couple of weeks later than I wanted to do, I think it’s worth doing it, especially for the E.P. and the initiatives I’m going to talk to you about. The thing is that these past weeks I’ve had the opportunity to go to Copenhagen, Denmark, to participate on the European project EIPTE. I’ve done it with 15 students of the Grade of Primary Education at the University of Deusto, and two colleagues of the same university that, like me, opt for the entrepreneurial education and the teacherpreneurs. But let’s go by parts, I’ll tell you this story later.

Today I want to write about the week of 7-11 of May, which it was particularly intense and interesting due to the many E.P. that take a chance on creativity and innovation which I was able to learn from. One of them was Nerea Bilbao, head teacher at the Ikastola Begoñazpi, a school in Bilbao. Last 9^th of May, during her intervention at the First Presentation Day of the Final Works of the Primary Education Grade of the Psychology and Education Faculty of the University of Deusto, Nerea gave an inspirational speech about education and innovation. During her intervention, she highlighted the importance of some of the characteristics and competencies she thinks teachers of the 21^st Century should have and/or develop. I’d like to refer to the passion, the (self)-motivation, the attitude, the creativity, the ability to adapt to change, and it’s that, as I told her at the end of the conference, for me, those are some of the characteristics a teacherpreneur has, don’t you think?

The 10^th of May I had the opportunity to share some time, even though it wasn’t much, with the E.P. who make up the Design Pop Up Bilbao.  This time these brands were at the event: Con S de Su, PALOPALÚ, KIRIBILTXO, Lágrimas de cocodrilo, UHAINA, Loops Astrid, NARDAYA, mama Kitenge, Mariangela Artese and TERAI cosmética. It was a special moment, basically because every person behind each brand put all their passion, illusion and desire at our service, those of us who went to the Pop Up and who any other day will go there to enjoy their art, because they have a lot of “it”. In my case, I rediscover them each day, through their new and often original designs, as well as through the conversations we have and the creation processes they show through their social networks. 

That same Thursday, on the 10^th of May, finally, I was able to be with a great friend and entrepreneur who I’ve talked to you about some time ago: Tamara Ferrero. I admit that her responsibility and work capacity, her taste for the things well done and for the detail, and her creative talent reflected on her bags and the jewelry she creates with love are just a small proof of what she can do.

Tamara is a perseverant, working, observer and vital person who hasn’t found the opportunity she, her bags and the jewelry pieces she makes with so much love and, which I assure you, are something special, deserve.

Being with Tamara, I saw a friend and university colleague with whom I share the passion for education since more than two decades ago: Emilio Pedrini. Talking with him, he showed me another entrepreneur, in this case a teacher of Madre de Dios school, with whom I hope I can share a conversation soon, so he can tell me how he transmits the entrepreneurial spirit to the students and how they are able to “shape” it and take action to show, through the added value, how they are able to be entrepreneurs.

You can see that entrepreneurship keeps flowing through the streets of Bilbao and that we don’t lack on desire. So, let’s keep taking a chance on it and letting its spirit imbue us.

Happy week to everyone.

Translated by María Ubierna Quintanilla and supervised by Arantza Arruti.