Publish at October 01 2020 Updated September 08 2022
Do you have to be an adult to want to be an entrepreneur? Does having an idea for a service or good for the community require having passed a minimum threshold? Technically, no. In fact, children of entrepreneurs will often acquire this desire from their parents to either continue the family business or start a new project.
What about others whose families are mostly employees? Can they develop the entrepreneurial culture?
This issue has obsessed the Quebec government for many years. So much so that since 2014, there has been an initiative called "The Big Day for Small Entrepreneurs."
This program for 5 to 12 year olds is intended to be a spark for thousands of students in the province to develop a taste for entrepreneurship and, throughout their lives. It all starts in September, when the students think about what they are passionate about. Then, in October, they begin to develop their business ideas. In the following months, they will learn how to make a business plan, implement it, promote their small business and finally offer the service or good to customers.
In June, a day is held allowing to highlight the successes of the children in the implementation of their idea. Monthly, therefore, practical exercises are usable by teachers with primary and secondary students to address the different themes. The 2018-2019 edition had more than 6,000 participants, an ever-increasing growth for a project started in 2014 with about 300 students.
The COVID-19 pandemic has greatly disrupted the 2019-2020 school year. Most of the spring was spent at home for the children. What could have been a hindrance to school-based approaches to entrepreneurship turned out to be an opportunity for Rino Levesque, who then implemented "I Have an Idea!" in April 2020.
The founder of Entrepreneurial Education Idea has been seeking to promote conscious entrepreneurship for many years. The idea is not only to make young people want to develop business concepts but especially to have some that have a beneficial effect on the social fabric and the environment. These few themes of the site set the tone:
So, the young people could reflect each week on their entrepreneurial project and share it on the site. So the idea was not to be a support to the school curriculum. Nevertheless, the content regularly was available and usable in online classes.
For Mr. Levesque, bringing this conscious entrepreneurial culture to school is meant to show another side of education. That it's not all about success and an excellent report card, but also about creativity, resourcefulness and a strong sense of community and the sustainability of our living environments.
Quebec is not the only territory seeking to develop an entrepreneurial spirit in young people. Nevertheless, between the "I have an idea" initiatives and those of this Montreal organization offering teenagers to learn the basics of cooperative entrepreneurship, it seems clear that the Canadian province is leading the way for other environments to ensure that its youth participate in a vibrant and sustainable economy.
Illustration : Courtany from Pixabay
References:
I Have An Idea! Getting Started And Getting Involved At School And At Home. Accessed September 25, 2020. https://www.sentreprendrealecole.ca/
The Big Day Of Little Entrepreneurs. Accessed September 25, 2020. https://www.petitsentrepreneurs.ca/fr/
Lévesque, Rino. "Educating for Conscious Entrepreneurship: Acting For Sustainable Environments." Connected School. Last updated April 30, 2020. https://ecolebranchee.com/eduquer-entrepreneuriat-conscient-agir-pour-des-environnements-viables/
Magalhaes, Zoe. "Rosepatrian Teens Try Their Hand at Entrepreneurship." Metro Journal. Last updated July 14, 2020. https://journalmetro.com/local/rosemont-la-petite-patrie/2481335/entrepreneuriat/
Normand, François. "COVID-19: Entrepreneurship To Help Youth At Home." LesAffaires.com. Last updated April 13, 2020. https://www.lesaffaires.com/secteurs-d-activite/general/covid-19--lentrepreneuriat-pour-aider-les-jeunes-la-maison/617057
Tardif, Jean-François. "A New Educational Tool With Entrepreneurship As Its Base." The Sun. Last updated May 12, 2020. https://www.lesoleil.com/affaires/un-nouvel-outil-educatif-ayant-pour-base-lentrepreneuriat-aece9b6d07661daeefb532761372c793
Tremblay, Diane. "La Grande Journée Des Petits Entrepreneurs: Pour Promouvoir L'Entrepreneurship Chez Les Adolescents." Le Journal De Quebec. Last updated: November 19, 2019. https://www.journaldequebec.com/2019/11/19/la-grande-journee-des-petits-entrepreneurs-pour-promouvoir-lentrepreneuriat-chez-les-adolescents
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