Youth in Prince George – Innovation starts here

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Every so often I am asked to speak about my experience as an entrepreneur. I usually love it because being an entrepreneur is something that has always been in my blood. But when asked to speak about being an entrepreneur to youth 29 and under…

Well…

Now, that truly floats my boat!

I started when I was just 16 years old with my first business, but somewhere between that point and high school graduation and then University, I had convinced myself that I wasn’t ready to be an entrepreneur.

I needed to be older, wiser, have achieved more and perhaps learned more about “life” before owning my own business. Luckily I got sick in my late twenties and was given a window to do some soul searching. It was then I launched my first ‘real’ business.

So when Vera Beerling of Youth Mean Business here in Prince George asked if I would be a speaker at their UNBC event on Feb 3, I was over the moon.

Inspiring today’s youth to be leaders in business is more important than ever. With almost 50% of the world’s population under 30… It is soon becoming the largest cohort.

Who better to understand this group than GenYers themselves.

This means that leaders (and potential entrepreneurs) within this age group don’t need to be older or wiser… they need to just be looking at their peers to see what problems they can solve and how they can impact the world around them.

Traditional businesses will always be around… businesses handed down through generations.

What I am talking about here is innovation… innovative ideas that can only be sparked by minds that have not been jaded by the obstacles we place in front of ourselves as we grow older (and supposedly wiser). Minds that were born in a time where technology is infused in our daily lives as teaching tools, to aid commerce, save lives and build relationships.

Innovative ideas that change the way we interact with each other from across the globe to within our own neighbourhoods.

If someone told you 10 years ago you would be communicating to family and friends on the internet via a platform called Facebook, you would have thought they were crazy.

This isn’t even about just tech or computer geeks.

It is about all of us directing our youth to nurturing what is uniquely brilliant about them and figuring a way to join together with other like minded entrepreneurs to develop and grow that little spark into a big flame. Because small ideas can turn into game changers.

So if you are… or know a youth that is under 29 living in Prince George… don’t miss this opportunity to have them learn about the Youth Mean Business Program.

You can be as young as 18 (just getting out of high school), still in university/college or never have gone to post secondary at all.

Come out and learn how this amazing program can help to spark the entrepreneur in you, what Prince George as a community can offer and whether you have what it takes to be a game changer.

If you are in media, a teacher, youth worker, parent or also just passionate about seeing youth in Prince George succeed… please share this article through the links below (Twitter, Facebook, email etc) or better yet… come by too.

Date: Friday Feb 3, 2012
Time: 12:30pm – 2:00pm
Place: UNBC Bently Centre

To RSVP call Community Futures 250-562-9622, Ext. 112 or Maria Trujillo at the UNBC Career Centre 250-960-6426.
Download info here.

 

PS. Here’s a recent article in the PG Citizen about the Youth Mean Business program.

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  • Anonymous

    Great post. I hope some youth come out.