Inspiring Entrepreneurial Minds with a Little Motivation

BY: SIMONE JENNIFER SMITH 

Heading into the end of the year, we have heard discouraging stories of multiple shootings, unnecessary chaos, and political turmoil. I know that for those who are sensitive to this information, as well as sensitive to the astronomic changes that are occurring (winter solstice, and recent full moon), times can look extremely bleak. It is times like this that any good information is seen as a blessing.

Well, here is some great news, especially for the young people who live in the Brampton area. It has been noted that there are a lot of young people who are not finding jobs across the GTA. If they do find jobs, they are not meaningful, or substantial enough to support a lifestyle. It is because of this that, we are finding a lot of young people taking that brave step to start their own businesses. As amazing as this sounds, many of these new businesses never make it past the third year, and like all vicious cycles, our young people are pulled right back into the rat race. To further explore the issue, half of the entrepreneurs who are currently heading up small and medium companies – which currently make up 98% of all businesses – will be retiring in the next decade.

So, how do we best support our young Canadian entrepreneurs? This is a great question that sparked the minds of a group of progressive individuals. The team at the United Achievers’ Community Services are a non-profit charitable multi-service organization focused on developing Peel Region’s Caribbean and African communities. They currently provide culturally sensitive programs, counseling support, community resources, education, and training; they have also decided to take it a step further by developing a program aimed directly at supporting young entrepreneurs.

For the last two decades, United Achievers Community Services has provided competent, and culturally appropriate services to individuals, families, and groups living in the Peel area. They are aware of the current needs and understand some of the emerging needs that Africans continue to face here in Canada. This knowledge allows the team at UACS Inc. to assist the community by providing pathways to achieve good health, mental well-being, and a better quality of life.

The most recent emerging need, “It is the need for black youth to be confident in their abilities and to create paths of success in the business world,” says Angela Carter, the Executive Director of United Achievers’ Community Services. “Our goal is to assist black youth in being comfortable with themselves and their identity, by developing confidence in their abilities and teaching them the necessary skills needed to survive working in the business world.”

On Monday, December 10, 2018, Brampton Community Youth participated in a new dynamic youth entrepreneurship-mentoring program. Black Leaders of Tomorrow is a three-year program for youth who aspire to be entrepreneurs. The program provides the opportunity for black youth to gain valuable knowledge and skills to run a business successfully. The youth will attend workshops on various aspects of managing a business, creating business plans, and have an opportunity to sit down with business mentors.

The community has an opportunity to participate in two ways: they can be either mentors or mentees. As a mentee you have to: identify as an African youth, be between the ages of 16-24, aspire to own a business, reside in the region of Peel, have a passion/talent they want to develop and embrace the African culture. As a mentor you have to: be an experienced business owner or manager, be aged 25 years or older, have a strong positive sense of African identity, and have a passion for helping youth. One important factor to remember is that both mentor and mentee must be willing to commit a year to the program. Finally, the youth enrolled in the program have the opportunity to participate in a competition, where they are eligible to win a start-up grant for their business.

For more information visit www.unitedachievers.org, or they can be located at 36 Queen Street East, Lower Level, Brampton, ON, L6V 1A2. They can also be found on:

Facebook @uacspeel,

Twitter @unitedachievers,

Instagram @uacspeel

We here at the Toronto Caribbean Newspaper are proud of United Achievers Community Services for the work that they are doing in Peel, and we hope for their success in the New Year!