Richard Branson’s motivation for change

29 August 2018

There’s no denying Richard Branson’s business success. Would you be surprised to learn that he left school at 16 and did not attend university?

In a recent Sky News article, Branson talks about turning his dyslexia from a barrier he faced at school to a strength in the real world. He is an example of the need for alternative thinking in education and the importance of supporting children to thrive in their whole life and not just in their exams and school work.

This is the motivation for Branson to take part in the Virgin STRIVE Challenge for the fourth time in a row – hitting the road this week.

I want to see education reimagined to support creative minds and alternative thinkers. I don’t want children with dyslexia (or any other disability) to feel at a disadvantage because they think in a different way to other children – this is a talent that should be nurtured.

Along with more than 200 others, Branson is raising money through the challenge for Big Change to fund projects that help set young people up to succeed and change the way we think about the purpose and delivery of education.

Catalysing big change

The only way to really catalyse big change is to get behind innovative pioneers and take that alternative approach.

Richard Branson on the Virgin STRIVE Challenge 2016

We look for projects that target issues at the root cause and build strong children rather than waiting to fix broken adults.

With teenagers around the UK receiving their A Levels and GCSE results this month it’s the perfect time to think about how we support children who don’t get the marks they hoped for.

Branson says: “Whether you got the grades you wanted or not, if you do what you love and what you are naturally good at, it will take you far in life”, and “Exams don’t measure skills like creating, delegating, reasoning, exploring, communicating and positively influencing – essential skills that the world needs.”

After all, Branson himself ‘flunked’ his.