Cover Image Left: Kolade Boboye and Makye Clayton have been working at Hope Blooms for over ten years and shared their dedication to entrepreneurship from a young age. The pair continue to mentor and support young entrepreneurs through Hope Blooms. Right: Terrence Taylor is a speaker and coach for youth on personal and professional development.
Entrepreneurship plays a critical role in shaping Nova Scotia’s economy, and a new generation of young entrepreneurs represents a change our established business community can learn from. Junior Achievement of Nova Scotia, Hope Blooms, and TALKS TOO MUCH International Speaking & Coaching are three organizations that have put youth entrepreneurship and innovation at the forefront of their values.
Encouraging curiosity and creativity
JA Nova Scotia was founded in 1969 with a program for grade 11 and 12 students to gain hands-on experience running their own businesses. Since its establishment, the organization has greatly expanded, now offering nine programs for youths from grades 3-12 across the province. We met with Kiah Matthews, Program Lead at JA Nova Scotia, who gave insights into how the organization guides and teaches youth entrepreneurship.
“Learning about entrepreneurship is more than just ‘how to make money,’” says Matthews. “It teaches youth about public speaking, effectively pitching their ideas, budgeting, planning and organization, networking, leadership, and how to work as part of a team.”
Although there is a significant range in ages of students Matthews engages with, she discusses some inspiring similarities JA Nova Scotia witnesses every day: “I find it especially interesting how the curiosity and creativity of youth remain over time. The youth we work with are continuously curious about new ideas and strategies in business, and they constantly impress me with their creativity and innovation at all ages.”
Like JA Nova Scotia, Hope Blooms encourages the curiosity and creativity of young people interested in business. Hope Blooms was founded in 2008 by Jessie Jollymore, a registered dietitian with ten years of experience in community work. She had a vision of supporting youth ideas by turning harvested plants into products. What started as a small group of students making homemade salsa—using ingredients they had grown themselves—has now transformed into an expanded program featuring five products partnered with Loblaws.
We had the opportunity to talk to Kolade Boboye and Makye Clayton, who have been working at Hope Blooms for over ten years, beginning at the age of nine. “We wanted to create something positive for ourselves and our peers,” say Boboye and Clayton. “We felt that, as young kids, we had the opportunity to make a difference. Our goal was to teach our generation the value of hard work and positivity.”
The two friends shared their dedication to entrepreneurship from a young age. “Starting at around 6:00 AM every Saturday, we would head to the market to sell our salad dressing,” say Boboye and Clayton. “Despite being only nine or ten years old, we quickly learned how to navigate the market and manage our sales.”
Boboye and Clayton understand the value of youth creativity and curiosity, which they felt themselves when the program was established. Now, they continue to see new ideas stemming from the next generation of youth in the program, like the creators behind Hot Cocoa Boys.
Hot Cocoa Boys are a group of boys in Hope Blooms who originally wanted to build a basketball court for children in their community. After creating their social enterprise during the COVID-19 lockdown and working hard, they found success. “It took them about five years of going door to door, basically sitting outside, to raise the $60,000 needed for the court,” explain Boboye and Clayton.
Now, the Hot Cocoa Boys are using sales from their product to raise funds for a mobile community music studio. This goal and sense of determination came straight from the youth in the program, despite the challenges they face. “We tell them, ‘Fail now, it’s good to fail,’” say Boboye and Clayton. “The more you see, the more you understand—no matter what you’re doing.”
Supporting the next generation
How else can we support the next generation of entrepreneurs? “If a youth comes to you with an idea, simply say, ‘You can do it,’” explain Boboye and Clayton. “Don’t say ‘no, it’s not possible.’ Let’s say anything’s possible. Let them know that whatever idea they come up with, you are on board.”
Terrence Taylor agrees that mentorship is a crucial aspect of leading young entrepreneurs to success. Taylor has focused his career on developing the ideas and confidence of youth, transforming his past work as an athlete and storyteller into his own mentorship program.
TALKS TOO MUCH International Speaking & Coaching is designed to turn knowledge-holders into successful storytellers and educators. Since opening the business, Taylor has mentored a number of youths, working to uplift and support their goals as future entrepreneurs. He has also gained direct insights into the challenges they face.A younger crowd of ideas, curiosity, and creativity can be seen as a threat to the traditional business world, but Taylor emphasizes the importance of shifting our views and embracing change. “I think we have a great future ahead, but that requires a lot of change,” he explains. “So, how do we shift that mindset and create a space where change is seen as a good thing?”
The future of Hope Blooms looks bright with the continued growth of programs, products, and ideas. They are set to launch a new Fruit Burst Lemonade product this fall, designed and created by several students in the program.
If you know a young person brimming with creativity and curiosity, support and encourage them. “You’d be surprised how many ideas are from the youth,” say Boboye and Clayton. “Let them dream big and help them take that first step.”
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