Progressive Intercultural Community Services (PICS) Society is launching PICS Youth Entrepreneurship Pilot Project on Feb. 22.
The project aims at helping youth entrepreneurs between the ages of 18 and 34 years to launch their businesses and become self-employed. The participants would be supported during the launch of their businesses by providing pre and post-launch coaching, financing, mentoring and business resources.
Thereafter, volunteer mentors would be available to the youth entrepreneurs for a duration of two years. For the first batch of applicants PICS would be able to support 10 to 15 participants. Since available vacancies are limited, these would be filled on a first come – first served basis.
Project Partners
As a Community Partner of Canadian Youth Business Foundation (CYBF), PICS would be supporting youth entrepreneurs with accessing start up loans from CYBF.
This is a character based loan, and based on their credit rating, youth entrepreneurs can get a loan of up to $ 45,000; and newcomer youth entrepreneurs (with less than five years of residency in Canada) who do not have a credit history can get a loan of up to $ 15,000 to launch their businesses.
Thereafter, having run their business successfully; between 3 to 5 years, they could become eligible for the Expansion Program which provides financing of up to $30,000 so as to be able to expand their business.
Students In Free Enterprise (SIFE) from the BCIT chapter are supporting PICS towards delivery of this project. SIFE members at BCIT who are business students/faculty would be supporting youth entrepreneurs from this project in the areas of financial planning, marketing, operations, and creative design on an ongoing basis. For the first batch of participants, workshops would be delivered during the months of March and April 2012 that would cover subjects to include:
- Goal setting
- SWOT analysis
- Budgeting and funding
- Marketing
- Basic computers
- Presentation skills
Information Session
To help participants with registration for this project, PICS would be holding an information session at PICS Main Office:
Place: # 205 – 12725 – 80th Avenue, Surrey, BC, V3W 3A6
Date: February 22, 2012
Time: 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM
Seating for the information session is limited, and participants must pre-register by sending an email at deshpal.grewal@pics.bc.ca or on telephone at 604-596-7722, extension 110. For more information visit www.pics.bc.ca