Young entrepreneurs rise to the occasion
‘You will never achieve your dreams if you don’t have passion.’ That was the advice from a young entrepreneur, Keston Duke, at a presentation of cheques to successful candidates of the Youth Rise programme yesterday. Youth Rise is a pilot project of the Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs (MSYA) which offers young persons from the community of Maloney with a soft loan to start a business. The loan facility is provided by the National Entrepreneurship Development Company (NEDCO), a collaborative partner with the MSYA.’ The eight (8) candidates, who each received a $20,000 loan to be repaid at an interest rate of 3%, all participated in workshop sessions to assist in the preparation of business plans. Member of Parliament for Arouca/Maloney, the Honourable Alicia Hospedales expressed her pleasure at the fact that Maloney was chosen as the pilot community, and that the business ideas that developed are all worthwhile additions to the improvement of the area. The Honourable Gary Hunt, Minister of Sport and Youth Affairs and a successful entrepreneur in his own right, extolled the virtues of faith, trust and confidence in achieving business goals. He also urged the youth to make the most of the opportunity given to them and said he believed they will all succeed.
The Youth Rise project is a fulfillment of the government’s Vision2020 initiative of ‘Nurturing a Caring Society’ as well as Course of Action 11 of the National Youth Policy which calls for the enhancement of youth employability and the creation of employment opportunities for youth.
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CREDITS:
- Story and photo by MSYA