REGENERATE

[addtoany]

Seeing Opportunity

Project Regenerate aims to address the lack of entrepreneurship and sustainability education in the Nova Scotian public school curriculum for youth; all while using waste as a resource. According to the Nova Scotia 2015 educational action plan, only 12% of youth see entrepreneurship as a viable option for a future career.

Taking Action

Through an eight-week program, Project Regenerate gives youth the full experience of what it means to start a business, allows them to learn about entrepreneurship, financial literacy and accountability. The program focuses on teaching youth ages six to eighteen about entrepreneurship through weekly two-hour modules that focus on topics such as ideation, prototyping, product design, accounting, manufacturing, marketing and sales, all with an environmental twist. The sessions include a variety of activities and exercises created to encourage Regenerate’s participants to embody an entrepreneurial mindset.

Enabling Progress

The sessions empower and educate young individuals to embrace the values and roles of entrepreneurs. Previously, Project Regenerate was able to expand their reach to have an environmental impact by recycling unused crayons from local restaurants and incorporate them into their workshops by having the children create, market and sell their own handmade Christmas ornaments. As a result of this, the participants were able to build a foundation of knowledge of the role of sustainability in social enterprise, and generate $145 in revenue. This prepared them to have the skills to create and sell their own products. In the winter semester, the program was focused on teaching and empowering participants to create and market their own small businesses. Overall, Project Regenerate impacted 151 individuals this year, generating $466 in revenue from the youth businesses.