Space Unlimited
Space Unlimited is a pioneering social enterprise offering businesses insights and creativity from a unique source: teenagers.
A special methodology, developed by the organisation, enables young people to build confidence in their own ideas and talents by working on a real-life question posed by a business.
Seeking a fresh perspective
Space Unlimited CEO, Heather Sim, is passionate about making space for creativity. She has found that healthy businesses constantly seek out fresh perspectives by making new connections; and that young people thrive on opportunities to act on their natural curiosity and to learn from experience.
The Space Unlimited approach has been used successfully with BP, Stagecoach, Glasgow City Council, BBC and British Nuclear Group.
"Uncertainty and risk face everyone - young people, teachers, business-people, and helpers alike. We have found that young people are more comfortable with this than most adults," says Sim.
Since the early days of Space Unlimited, a recurring trend has emerged: the attitudes and behaviours of adults, particularly around risk-taking, have a significant impact on the energy levels, confidence and actions of young people.
When adults succeed in creating effective conditions, young people are willing to share ideas they haven't voiced before, to take responsibility, and to try things out.
Managing reactions to risk
Space Unlimited wants to find ways to enhance the skills of adults involved in innovation and creativity programmes for young people.
Through a pilot project with NESTA, they will devise new information, tools, and resources that can encourage adults to understand and manage their own reactions to risk and thereby create more effective conditions for young people.
By helping adults to manage their thoughts, feelings and behaviours towards risk-taking, Space Unlimited expect to significantly enhance young people's experience of innovation-related projects.
Risk for innovation
"We want young people to be as free as possible to assess the risks they feel naturally inclined to take" says Sim. "We aim to help adults to have even more rewarding experiences working with young people on innovation-related projects and to acquire a more positive appreciation of the importance of risk for innovation."
"We approach everything we do in a spirit of discovery. The one thing that is always predictable is that things won't work out quite the way that was planned. We see that as a virtue, and as an opportunity for learning, and not as a failure."