Channelling, promoting young Aboriginal ambition

YouLaunch and St. Mary’s Aboriginal Youth Entrepreneur Program team up to teach students about entrepreneurship and business planning

File photo

NEWS RELEASE

INNOVATION CENTRE

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This Friday, Oct. 21 from 8:30 a.m. to 9:45 a.m., the Sault Ste. Marie Innovation Centre (SSMIC)’s YouLaunch team will be host to a group of highly ambitious students and one exceptional educator from the Aboriginal Youth Entrepreneurship Program (AYEP) being offered by St. Mary’s College.

The purpose of this session is for YouLaunch, as a youth entrepreneurship program, to present the Business Model Canvas concept to AYEP students and apply it in a fun, informative, practical and engaging way.

Students will be given a mock business idea to work through in pairs to demonstrate how the BMC works, with youth entrepreneur coaches on hand. BMC is a strategic business management template and business plan on a page for developing new business models.

Students will be dressed in their business attire, which has been sponsored by Scotiabank and fitted and sourced from Stich King in Sault Ste. Marie

“Working with the AYEP is such a great opportunity for us to connect with students, teach them about entrepreneurship as an exciting and viable career path, and encourage them to continue education and look ahead at the future,” said Patti McGonigal, Youth Outreach Officer with YouLaunch.

“The focus of this workshop is learning about the Business Model Canvas so that student can apply it to their own business ventures. Throughout the school year, YouLaunch is available to AYEP students to provide mentorship, coaching, and education around the entire new business process, from having an idea, building a plan, accessing funding, and launching and marketing the business. It’s a very rewarding partnership for both YouLaunch and AYEP, and we’re so proud to work with these exceptional students.”

This presentation is part of a strong working relationship between AYEP and YouLaunch that is now in its second year. AYEP is an entrepreneurship program for Aboriginal youth in Canada, established in 2008 in order to initiate a variety of educational projects designed to provide Aboriginal Canadians with opportunities for success.

This is the third year that St. Mary’s is offering it students, as part of a two semester program for Grade 11 and 12 students. The program is led by Scott Chorney, and St. Mary’s is one of 46 secondary schools across the country to offer it and the only school in Sault Ste. Marie.

“The goals of the AYEP program is to encourage and teach Aboriginal youth about business and entrepreneurship with the hope they will pursue this career choice into post-secondary studies,” says Scott Chorney, AYEP Lead Teacher. “The students are all very proud about their business attire and enjoy the community based interactions with mentors such as YouLaunch.”

For more information about AYEP at St. Mary’s, visit http://www.stmaryscollegeknights.com/aboriginal-youth-entrepreneurship-program.html, and learn about the full AYEP initiative here.

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