Turning teens into entrepreneurs

A seasonal initiative at the West Island YMCA is helping to equip young people with the needed skills to become tomorrow’s entrepreneurs.

First established in 1997, the Youth Work Co-operative’s objective “is to train and teach 12 to 17-year-olds how to manage a business. They gain experience, while getting the chance to earn money. For most of them it’s their first time in the work force, and we want to make it as positive as possible,” animator Hayley Solman explained.

The summer-long program, which gets under way this week, is designed as a co-op wherein members collectively decide in which direction they want to take the company, and how to go about it. The jobs they pursue might include house-painting, lawn care, and dog-walking.“What we seek in candidates is a sense of motivation and commitment to the program,” she said. “The emphasis is on their being independent, so they promote the business themselves, by putting ads in the newspaper, distributing flyers, setting up kiosks, going on Facebook – whatever they can do to reach people,” Solman said. “Intensive workshops also cover how to negotiate a contract, what to charge, prepare a C.V., and how to approach a client.”

The majority of clients “tend to be private citizens looking for handiwork, but in the past we’ve hooked up with day camps and local companies,” she said, adding, the focus of the project is to forge a relationship between youth and their community.

The teens also hear from guest speakers from local organizations and industry. “For example, we’ve had representatives from the West Island Volunteer Bureau and the Lester B. Pearson School Board. We’re always looking for people to volunteer to talk to the kids about marketing or other aspects of running a successful business,” Solman said.

The West Island YMCA is located at 230 Brunswick Blvd. in Pointe Claire. For information about the Youth Work Co-operative call 514-630-9622 ext. 323.