Young teens had the chance to design their own future this school holiday, at the very first #TeenBoss workshop which took place from 29 June – 01 July in Observatory.
The workshop was hosted by NPO Trust, SA Teen Entrepreneur Foundation in association with Over the Rainbow and Entrepreneur and Management Solutions, to offer a three day course for teens in grade 10, 11 & 12.
Founder and Director of SA Teen Entrepreneur Foundation, Lydia Zingoni recognises that young people need to play a more significant role in the growth of South Africa’s economy. Zingoni is working to set up entrepreneur societies in schools and is currently running programmes in 8 schools in the Western Cape. “SA’s SME’s make up 50% of employment opportunities1 , so there needs to be great emphasis in driving entrepreneurship programmes that will reach young teenagers across the country,” says Zingoni.
With the unemployment rate at its highest since 20052, and youth unemployment at an alarming 37.7%,3 the aim of the #TeenBoss workshop and other SA Teen Entrepreneur programmes, is to instil an entrepreneurial mind-set into the hearts and minds of young South Africans.
The biggest challenge for a start-up is the failure rate. Statistics reveal that 80% of new businesses fail within the first 2-3 years. “We need to educate the youth on how to overcome the risks of starting a business. The better equipped teenagers are, the more likely they are to face adversity head on along the way,” says #TeenBoss Representative Kyle Sanders.
“There is so much creativity out there and it’s inspiring to see those we have mentored go on to do amazing things, like Brian Mbaleki, aka Truth Spitter, from Spes Bona High School in Athlone who within a few months of exposure to the SA Teen Entrepreneur programme, will be releasing his first rap album this year.”
The #TeenBoss workshop encouraged students to turn their passion into a profitable business and equipped them with the tools to do so.
Over the three days, students were taught about all the aspects of launching a business; from identifying the target audience, funding, sourcing materials, marketing & branding to finally pitching a business idea.
Students teamed up to exchange ideas and worked together to build a business plan which they then presented on the last day of the workshop to a panel of judges (Dragon’s Den style). For more information visit www.teenentr
