HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuron Expositor, 2006-05-31, Page 6Page 6 May 31, 2006 • The Huron Expositor
News
Youth Ink encouraging youth to become own bosses
Two-year provincial strategy aims to promoteyouth entrepreneurship
Jennifer Hubbard
Local service providers are joining
together to encourage Huron
County youth to become their own
bosses.
A product of the United Way's
2005 Community Matters forums,
Youth Ink is a two-year, 14 -commu-
nity, provincial "youth entrepre-
neurship awareness strategy with a
Here's your opportunity
to save lives.
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Monday, June 5, 2006
1:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Seaforth Community Centre
122 Duke Street
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for more information or to book an appointment.
www.bioodservices.ca
The Municipality
of
HURON EAST
519-527-0160
Seaforth
Agricultural
Society
519-527-1321
BOX and
SMITH
Funeral Chapel Inc.
47 High St. Seaforth 519-527.1142.
McLaughlin
Chevrolet Ltd.
13 Main St. Seaforth 519.527.1140
goal to ultimately get more young
people to take inventory of the skills
they have or are pursuing, and to
look at entrepreneurship as a poten-
tial career option."
"Entrepreneurs are a bit of an
f
L. MSG
th
Plumbing & Heatlflg Inc.
Seaforth 519-522-0493
Brian E. Wightman
Certified General Accountant
Seaforth 519-527-1331
Whitney.Ribey
FuneraHome
519-527-1390
87 Goderich St. W. Seaforth
t"? 000 ,ERVICES
'.OU{Gii CANAVIENNE OU SANG
11 Main St. Seaforth 519-527-0240
untapped resource locally and prob-
ably not enough effort goes into cre-
ating awareness in youth that
entrepreneurship is a viable career
option," explained Paul Nichol of the
Huron Business Development
Corporation (HBDC), adding one in
five Huron County workers are
entrepreneurs.
"We want to develop an asset map
of the services that exist here and to
let youth know who can help them."
Representatives in attendance for
the May 4 workshop at the Huron
County Health Unit included
Ontario Works, Conestoga College,
the United Way, HBDC, the County
of Huron and more. Youth Ink was
created by Social and Enterprise
Development Innovations (SEDI),
with funding support from the
Ministry of Economic Development
and Trade.
"Some organizations that deal
with youth will be encouraging
entrepreneurship, while organiza-
tions like HBDC that deal with
entrepreneurs will try to become
more youth -friendly," Nichol said.
"There was a feeling it was one or
the other - youth or entrepreneurs
— when really we need to have a lit-
tle understanding of both"
SEDI's director of youth initia-
tives .Casey Cosgrove led the forum,
which featured a number of discus-
sions on local areas of opportunity,
key issues and barriers to success.
Many participants stressed the
importance of introducing the idea
of entrepreneurship to all students
early on while they are still in
school.
"It needs to start in schools, while
they are a captive audience, rather
than waiting until they drop out.
We need to be more preventative,"
Cosgrove agreed, adding it's also
important to spread the message to
students who haven't even consid-
ered entrepreneurship.
"Almost every government pro-
gram out there is directed to stu-
dents who have already expressed
an interest. As a community and
county, who is out there nurturing,
creating and encouraging the idea
of entrepreneurship?"
In addition to broadening the
awareness of youth entrepreneur-
ship opportunities, Cosgrove said he
also hopes Youth Ink will facilitate
.a sharing of best practices between
the 14 participating communities.
Entrepreneurial skills offer a solid
foundation for youth whether or not
they decide to open their own busi-
ness, ' Nichol said.
"These are the skills you keep for
life."