Entreprenurial Workshops For Dyslexic Students - Dragon’s Den Before The Dragons

US social entrepreneur Dean Bragonier will run workshops for dyslexic students keen to maximise their entrepreneurial skills, from initial idea through to investor pitch.

Bragonier is the Founder and ‘Executive Dyslexic’ of NoticeAbility Inc, a non-profit organisation dedicated to helping students with dyslexia identify their unique strengths and build self-esteem. After struggling through secondary school, Bragonier became a successful college student. After graduation he acquired a small seasonal restaurant on Martha’s Vineyard that he transformed into a successful full-scale enterprise.

The NoticeAbility Entrepreneurs & Innovators Workshops, hosted by Dyslexia Foundation of New Zealand (DFNZ), will run in Auckland, Christchurch and Queenstown, highlighting the cognitive strengths associated with dyslexia and providing practical exercises to apply these strengths to entrepreneurial projects.

Designed with support from Harvard Business School, the process takes students through an entrepreneurial method of identifying a unique problem, creating a solution, building a business plan to support it, and developing a pitch for investors.

“It’s like Dragon’s Den, with no dragons in sight, and focused on the work involved in building out an idea from inception through to investor pitch,” says Bragonier. “Some 35% of entrepreneurs have dyslexia. If students are problem solvers, tireless negotiators, or relentless inventors, this is the workshop they'll want.

“Many of the greatest change agents across history have had dyslexia. This is not by accident. The neurological structure of the dyslexia brain accounts for cognitive advantages that give individuals a high likelihood of success in certain professional paths. In our opinion, the 21st century economy is perfectly suited for those with dyslexia to succeed. And we’ve witnessed private industry pursuing neurodiverse individuals to give them a competitive advantage.”

Bragonier says most people with dyslexia have average or well above average intelligence, but dyslexic students can appear less motivated in the classroom. “This is likely a presentation of learned helplessness, a psychological reaction to an educational system which knows little about the neurological condition,” he says.

DFNZ Chair of Trustees Guy Pope-Mayell says DFNZ is thrilled to be hosting the workshops.

“In close to 20 years advocating and supporting neurodiverse New Zealanders, DFNZ has seen first-hand how negative self-belief can be a major hurdle. The traditional school curriculum often does a profound disservice to many students by failing to mine the powerful capabilities of the dyslexic mind,” he says.

“DFNZ is passionate about the lifechanging possibilities offered by the NoticeAbility workshops and presentations. Rather than trying to ‘fix’ something, these fill a huge gap in the market by highlighting the extraordinary creative strengths that dyslexia confer and ways in which these can add immense value to workplaces and society.”

FREE WORKSHOP DETAILS:
Auckland: Saturday 2 November. Mt Eden Village Centre, 9am-1pm
Auckland: Monday 4 November. Mt Eden Village Centre, 9am-1pm
Christchurch: Saturday 9 November. The George Hotel, 9am-1pm
Queenstown: Thursday 7 November. Puawai Room, Te Atamira Arts Centre, 9am – 1 pm 
https://events.humanitix.com/noticeability-queenstown

Teachers, especially those working directly with dyslexic and neurodiverse students, are invited to attend to observe and participate as much or little as they wish. The three-hour student workshops are designed for a maximum of 20 students (Years 7- 10). Caregivers will be invited to a 90-minute presentation on zoom prior to the first workshop, date tbc (50-minute talk plus Q&A).

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