Youth Entrepreneurship focus of Ontario government iInvestments and program
Ontario government press release ...
McGuinty Government To Make Major Investment In Youth Entrepreneurship
TORONTO, Jan. 19 - The Government of Ontario is providing over $1.5 million through the Youth Entrepreneurship Partnerships initiative to foster a culture of entrepreneurship amongst Ontario's youth, Minister of Small Business and Entrepreneurship Harinder S. Takhar announced today.
"Youth Entrepreneurship Partnerships provides Ontario's young people with opportunities to develop the critical business and life skills that are so important to their future," said Takhar. "It's important that our young people learn these skills early in life, so they will be ready to lead our businesses on the world stage and drive Ontario's economy forward for years to come."
Youth Entrepreneurship Partnerships provides grants to non-profit organizations for programs that promote the development of entrepreneurial skills in youths. Fourteen projects representing $1,597,000 in funding have been selected in the second round of proposals.
This second round of Youth Entrepreneurship Partnerships represents the largest amount of grant funding provided to non-profit organizations. In June 2006, $673,000 was awarded to six successful associations in the first round of the Partnership project.
"It's a goal of our government to support the skilled young people of Ontario by providing them with opportunities to learn, grow and succeed," Takhar said. "An investment in our youth is an investment in an even better Ontario for the future."
For more information on the Ministry of Small Business and Entrepreneurship's Youth Entrepreneurship Partnerships and other youth programs, visit: http://www.sbe.gov.on.ca/ontcan/sbe/en/youth_main_en.jsp
Since 2003, investments in infrastructure, postsecondary education, research and innovation and key economic sectors have helped strengthen Ontario's economic foundations and continue to build opportunity.
Backgrounder
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MCGUINTY GOVERNMENT ANNOUNCES FUNDING TO SUPPORT YOUTH ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Youth Entrepreneurship Partnerships provides grants to non-profit organizations to run programs promoting the development of entrepreneurial skills in young people.
The primary goal of Youth Entrepreneurship Partnerships is to influence the way Ontario youth think about entrepreneurship by:
- introducing enterprising principles to youth in school and in their early career
- creating excitement about entrepreneurship in all industry sectors - building a team of informal entrepreneurship ambassadors.
Through collaboration with key stakeholders and influencers including educators, community organizations, parents and private sector partners, programs will connect with diverse youth groups across Ontario.
Fourteen projects representing $1,597,000 in funding were announced on January 19, 2007, as the successful candidates of the second round. They are:
- East Central Ontario Training Board: Will receive funding over a three-year period to fund its "Community of Entrepreneurs" initiative. This project is a community-wide effort in support of rural and remote youth and students in Trans Hills, Havelock-Norwood and the North Kawartha region. It will provide young people with a range of entrepreneurial activities and resources, including camps, support services, and resource material.
- Heritage Skills Development Centre: MSBE will fund the centre to support its African-Canadian Youth Entrepreneurship project. Through educational and development opportunities, the project will facilitate the development of an enterprising culture among 150 marginalized African-Canadian youth in Scarborough.
- Enterprise Centre Sault Ste. Marie: MSBE will support the Entreprise Centre's production of Youth Initiatives DVD and Youth Network. The promotional DVD and web content will highlight programs and services related to youth entrepreneurship.
- The Learning Partnership: Will be provided funding over a three-year term to support the Province-wide expansion of the Entrepreneurial Adventure Program. This initiative aims to expand the existing program by developing a bilingual Entrepreneurial Adventure resource kit.
- Community Opportunity and Innovation Network Inc. (COIN): MSBE will grant funds over a three-year span in support of Peterborough's Rural Youth Entrepreneurship Program. The program will deliver COIN's Team Entrepreneurship training curriculum to 30 young people per year, assist with business plan development and provide support to post-secondary students to help create businesses.
- Youth in Motion: MSBE will support Youth in Motion to aid in the launch of its Freedom, Flexibility and Financial Rewards:
Entrepreneurship Has It All program. Youth in Motion will host two, one-day interactive learning courses in Toronto for 500 grades 7-10 students and 100 at-risk youth to promote entrepreneurship.
- Employment & Resource Services of Georgian Bay Area: MSBE will fund Employment & Resource Services of Georgian Bay Area over three-years to support its Tracks to Business program. This program will engage rural youth in the Collingwood area by exploring entrepreneurial concepts and helping to grow their own businesses through the creation of a "storefront" operation.
- Impact: The group was funded to aid the launch of its Impact Leadership Conference. The conference will be held in Toronto on November 17, 18 and 19. Three hundred students from across Ontario are expected to attend.
- Nbisiing Secondary School: MSBE will support the Nbisiing Secondary School "Company" Program. The program will facilitate the development of an enterprising spirit among Aboriginal youth in Nipissing and the surrounding Aboriginal communities by giving them a series of educational and entrepreneurial opportunities involving elders. The program will be offered in both the English and Ojibwe languages.
- The Business Centre - Nipissing Parry Sound: MSBE will provide the centre with a grant, spread out over a three-year span, to support its Business Centre in a Box initiative. The initiative will include a comprehensive toolkit, DVD, lesson plans and an interactive website to encourage youth to pursue entrepreneurship as a career. It will be distributed to grade 12 secondary school business class teachers in the Nipissing and Parry Sound area.
- Centre des jeunes francophones de Toronto: MSBE will grant funding over three years to support Ouvrir les portes de l'entrepreneuriat aux minorites ethnoculturelles. Through workshops, seminars and mentoring in the Greater Toronto Area, this French-language program will assist racial minority and ethnocultural francophone youths in the business planning process.
- Junior Achievement of Central Ontario: Will receive support for the expansion of the JA Titan project. This project develops students' entrepreneurial and leadership skills through interactive learning opportunities and web-based simulations. Students will work in teams to compete as companies in a fictitious market. In the first year of operation more than 100 JA Titan projects were launched in high schools across Ontario.
- Conseil de la Cooperation de l'Ontario: MSBE will fund the Conseil de la Cooperation de l'Ontario over three years to support the Jeunes Ambassadeurs Cooperatives. This French language program targets post-secondary youth, ages 18-29, across the province and encourages them to start their own cooperatives through a three-staged approach.
- Le Cle d'la Baie: MSBE will provide funding over a two-year period to aid the Programme partenariat jeunesse. This program will prepare rural francophone youths in Simcoe County for careers as entrepreneurs through workshops, training and mentoring sessions. The program will also help young Ontarians launch their own businesses under the guidance of their mentors.
Non-profit organizations interested in learning more about the Youth Entrepreneurship Partnerships initiative should visit the website at: http://www.sbe.gov.on.ca/ontcan/sbe/en/youth_main_en.jsp