Who Gives A Crap partners with Young Change Agents to launch Impact Boss, equipping teens globally with social entrepreneurship skills
What’s happening: Who Gives A Crap is partnering with Young Change Agents to launch Impact Boss, an entrepreneurial education program designed to equip young people with social enterprise skills. Launching in 2026 across Australia and the United States, the initiative aims to reach 20,000 students in its first two years through school-based and self-directed learning formats.
Why this matters: New research reveals 93% of Australians believe schools should teach entrepreneurial skills such as creativity, problem-solving and financial literacy, yet 56% report feeling unprepared for the workforce after finishing school.
One of Australia’s most successful social enterprises is turning its attention to the next generation, partnering with youth education specialists to teach teenagers how to build businesses that solve social problems.
Who Gives A Crap, which has donated over $18 million to address the global sanitation crisis since launching in 2012, is teaming up with Young Change Agents to launch Impact Boss, a program designed to equip young people globally with social entrepreneurship skills.
The initiative launches in 2026 across Australia and the United States, targeting 20,000 students in its first two years.
Addressing the skills gap
The partnership comes as new research commissioned by Who Gives A Crap reveals significant gaps in entrepreneurial education. The survey of 1,000 Australians aged 18 and over, conducted by Pureprofile in September 2025, found that 93% believe schools should teach entrepreneurial skills to better prepare young people for the workforce.
More than half of respondents, 56%, reported feeling they weren’t equipped with the skills to enter the workforce after finishing school. Additionally, 87% think it’s important for young people to learn how to make a positive impact through their work, whilst 45% believe young people don’t feel empowered to solve global issues such as climate change, social inequality or food insecurity.
“Together we’re looking to supercharge social entrepreneurship education around the world,” says Jehan Ratnatunga, Co-Founder of Who Gives A Crap. “Entrepreneurship is a powerful tool for stimulating economic growth, improving health and creating social change. Combine that with the bold ideas of young minds, and it’s something we’re proud to be part of. Honestly, I think I’ll learn more from the students than they will from me.”
Real-world business lessons
Impact Boss distinguishes itself by incorporating real-world case studies from Who Gives A Crap’s journey, offering students practical insights into customer research, prototyping, manufacturing and go-to-market strategy.
The company’s origin story began when co-founder Simon Griffiths sat on a toilet for 50 hours in 2012 to crowdfund their first production run after learning that billions of people lack access to toilets. Since then, the company has expanded internationally, diversified into household products, and donated 50% of its profits to clean water and sanitation organisations worldwide.
“We’re a group of people passionate about tackling big social problems in creative ways,” says Ratnatunga. “Being part of Impact Boss helps show young people that they can do it too. They’ll even get to sample our products, and one day, we hope we get to sample theirs.”
Proven educational framework
The program builds on Young Change Agents’ established frameworks from its Explorer and YINC programs, which have reached over 196,000 students across 1,710-plus schools over nearly a decade.
Across four sprints, students will identify problems in their communities, reframe them as opportunities, and design and launch a social enterprise. The program can be run in schools or self-directed through a purpose-built Entrepreneurial Learning Hub.
“Over nine years, we’ve run thousands of youth programs, and we’ve seen the most effective way for students to learn is through role-modelling what’s possible,” says Margaret O’Brien, Co-Founder of Young Change Agents. “Who Gives A Crap is one of the best and most relatable examples of a social enterprise for youth: fun, inspiring and built to make a difference.”
The program is designed to be scalable and accessible, offering all young people, not just the privileged few, access to entrepreneurial learning that benefits communities, economies and the environment. It’s adaptable across school subjects and learning environments, including homeschooling and extracurricular learning.
2026 launch targets 20,000
The launch aligns with growing investment in entrepreneurship education, with initiatives like Uber’s Business Booster program demonstrating the appetite for accessible business skills training. ANZ Australia’s business ecosystem demonstrated remarkable vitality in 2023 to 2024, with entrepreneurs launching ventures at an unprecedented rate, Statista suggesting strong potential for youth-focused enterprise education.
Governments are increasingly recognising social enterprise as a vehicle for inclusive economic growth, offering support through policy, funding and ecosystem development. However, education in this sector has lagged behind demand.
The program aims to ensure that young people don’t just watch the future happen, they lead it by creating scalable, community-led change through social enterprise.
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