Catch them young
The health and vitality of a nation is closely linked with its ability to generate wealth through commercial activities and young Dominican entrepreneurs have been given a head start through a Commonwealth-sponsored project. This has facilitated the development of micro credit opportunities for young people wishing to set up a business.
The project, sponsored by The Commonwealth Youth Programme (CYP) which is run by the Commonwealth Secretariat, was based on the successful Commonwealth Youth Credit Initiative (CYCI) model. This creates employment opportunities for young men and women by training them in financial and enterprise management so that they can be approved for obtaining credit to establish a business.
The ultimate aim is that by demonstrating entreprenuerial flair, these young borrowers will increase their creditworthiness and graduate from receiving targeted small credit to borrowing from formal financial institutions such as banks.
Dr Siddhartha Sankar-Dash, a Commonwealth expert on micro-enterprise development from India, was the lead facilitator in this programme. Dr Dash was sponsored by the Commonwealth Service Abroad Programme (CSAP), an innovative volunteer-based programme managed – PLEASE REPLACE THIS WITH THE WORD FUNDED - by the Commonwealth Secretariat’s Commonwealth Fund for Technical Co-operation.
Dr Dash completed his six-month CSAP placement with the Dominica Youth Business Trust (DYBT), a youth enterprise project faciliated by the CYP’s Caribbean Centre.
“The objective was to set up an effective credit delivery and monitoring system to support young people,” said Dr Dash. “At the same time, we wanted to achieve self-sustainability by generating adequate funds to continue the programme and by leading borrowers towards financial independence.”
Dr Dash was responsible for the initiative Catch them young. After liaising with school principals and preparing carefully designed training modules, he introduced Entrepreneurship Awareness Camps (EAC) for secondary schools across Dominica. He also conducted orientation programmes for youth officers, facilitators and mentors. He then produced proposals to secure funding from donors and trained a team to continue the project.
After a discussion with DYBT trustees and the Ministry of Tourism and Private Sector Affairs, Dr Dash facilitated the drafting of a policy statement on small /micro enterprise in Dominica. Once finalised, this will help the Government by providing direction for investment, technology, infrastructure and credit facilities.
Other aspects of the project included the development of a national CYCI database to monitor the progress of entrepreneurial projects and the strengthening of institutional and development frameworks for micro-entrepreneurship. The project established links between strategic partners, such as financial institutions, private sector, civil society, youth groups, and international development agencies.
For his assistance in building an entrepreneurial culture in Dominica, Dr Dash received a commendation from the Youth Development Division of the Ministry of Education, Human Resources Development, Sports and Youth Affairs.
“Entrepreneurship is not prevalent in Dominica,” Dr Dash said, “and I feel that there is a lot of work to do in the Caribbean with respect to entrepreneurial development, especially with the Caribbean Community Single Market and Economy coming in a very big way. Every Caribbean country has to strengthen its human and material resources and encourage young people to pursue small and micro- enterprises.”
Dr Dash hopes that the measures he has set in motion will continue to develop. “I believe that DYBT needs to be strengthened through allocation of extra resources,” he said.
“There is a need for more expertise in the development of entrepreneurship as a means of creating sustainable livelihoods and alleviating poverty among young men and women in the Caribbean. The rise and fall of a nation depends solely on the entrepreneur and I hope that instead of looking for jobs, more young people will seek to become job creators and that the Government will provide policy support and training.”
Four indigenous youth from the Carib territory of Batica in Dominica benefited from the CYCI project. They underwent weeks of enterprise, personal development and achievement motivation training to prepare them for life as young entrepreneurs. They have plans to venture into businesses that will service the growing tourist market in their community, Batica, which is a small indigenous community about 25 miles from the capital, Roseau. This predominantly farming community comprises eight villages and has a population of about 3,500 persons.
Ms Anabela Charles noted that Batica is one of the favourite places visited by tourists while in Dominica but there is limited accommodation and entertainment available in the community. From the market study conducted as part of her training, she found that a business venture that could offer tourists overnight accommodation and entertainment that reflected the community’s heritage and spirit would create sustainable jobs for young people in the community.
Willis Joseph, another beneficiary, agreed. “Our businesses will be a boost for the community since they will not only create jobs for more youths but will help youths to have the courage to start up their own businesses.”
The health and vitality of a nation is closely linked with its ability to generate wealth through commercial activities and young Dominican entrepreneurs have been given a head start through a Commonwealth-sponsored project. This has facilitated the development of micro credit opportunities for young people wishing to set up a business.
The project, sponsored by The Commonwealth Youth Programme (CYP) which is run by the Commonwealth Secretariat, was based on the successful Commonwealth Youth Credit Initiative (CYCI) model. This creates employment opportunities for young men and women by training them in financial and enterprise management so that they can be approved for obtaining credit to establish a business.
The ultimate aim is that by demonstrating entreprenuerial flair, these young borrowers will increase their creditworthiness and graduate from receiving targeted small credit to borrowing from formal financial institutions such as banks.
Dr Siddhartha Sankar-Dash, a Commonwealth expert on micro-enterprise development from India, was the lead facilitator in this programme. Dr Dash was sponsored by the Commonwealth Service Abroad Programme (CSAP), an innovative volunteer-based programme managed – PLEASE REPLACE THIS WITH THE WORD FUNDED - by the Commonwealth Secretariat’s Commonwealth Fund for Technical Co-operation.
Dr Dash completed his six-month CSAP placement with the Dominica Youth Business Trust (DYBT), a youth enterprise project faciliated by the CYP’s Caribbean Centre.
“The objective was to set up an effective credit delivery and monitoring system to support young people,” said Dr Dash. “At the same time, we wanted to achieve self-sustainability by generating adequate funds to continue the programme and by leading borrowers towards financial independence.”
Dr Dash was responsible for the initiative Catch them young. After liaising with school principals and preparing carefully designed training modules, he introduced Entrepreneurship Awareness Camps (EAC) for secondary schools across Dominica. He also conducted orientation programmes for youth officers, facilitators and mentors. He then produced proposals to secure funding from donors and trained a team to continue the project.
After a discussion with DYBT trustees and the Ministry of Tourism and Private Sector Affairs, Dr Dash facilitated the drafting of a policy statement on small /micro enterprise in Dominica. Once finalised, this will help the Government by providing direction for investment, technology, infrastructure and credit facilities.
Other aspects of the project included the development of a national CYCI database to monitor the progress of entrepreneurial projects and the strengthening of institutional and development frameworks for micro-entrepreneurship. The project established links between strategic partners, such as financial institutions, private sector, civil society, youth groups, and international development agencies.
For his assistance in building an entrepreneurial culture in Dominica, Dr Dash received a commendation from the Youth Development Division of the Ministry of Education, Human Resources Development, Sports and Youth Affairs.
“Entrepreneurship is not prevalent in Dominica,” Dr Dash said, “and I feel that there is a lot of work to do in the Caribbean with respect to entrepreneurial development, especially with the Caribbean Community Single Market and Economy coming in a very big way. Every Caribbean country has to strengthen its human and material resources and encourage young people to pursue small and micro- enterprises.”
Dr Dash hopes that the measures he has set in motion will continue to develop. “I believe that DYBT needs to be strengthened through allocation of extra resources,” he said.
“There is a need for more expertise in the development of entrepreneurship as a means of creating sustainable livelihoods and alleviating poverty among young men and women in the Caribbean. The rise and fall of a nation depends solely on the entrepreneur and I hope that instead of looking for jobs, more young people will seek to become job creators and that the Government will provide policy support and training.”
Four indigenous youth from the Carib territory of Batica in Dominica benefited from the CYCI project. They underwent weeks of enterprise, personal development and achievement motivation training to prepare them for life as young entrepreneurs. They have plans to venture into businesses that will service the growing tourist market in their community, Batica, which is a small indigenous community about 25 miles from the capital, Roseau. This predominantly farming community comprises eight villages and has a population of about 3,500 persons.
Ms Anabela Charles noted that Batica is one of the favourite places visited by tourists while in Dominica but there is limited accommodation and entertainment available in the community. From the market study conducted as part of her training, she found that a business venture that could offer tourists overnight accommodation and entertainment that reflected the community’s heritage and spirit would create sustainable jobs for young people in the community.
Willis Joseph, another beneficiary, agreed. “Our businesses will be a boost for the community since they will not only create jobs for more youths but will help youths to have the courage to start up their own businesses.”
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