Everyone has a story to tell. For future entrepreneurs, this story is still being scripted. What would you give for a second chance to do it all over again?
While you may or may not have a chance to rewrite your story, you can still play a vital role in the narratives of our future leaders. The role of the private sector can’t be understated in tackling the current national job crisis. It is against this backdrop that initiatives such as the 50/50 Campaign cannot be underestimated.
What’s the big deal about young entrepreneurs?
Young people play a significant role in driving and growing the economy. They are innate risk takers and have an unquenchable zest to go after what they most want. Young entrepreneurs are innovative, and if equipped with the right skills, given solid platforms, mentored, supported, and introduced to the entrepreneurship space from a young age, there’s no telling what industry solutions they can birth.
Bridging the gap of lack of access
South Africa is filled with economic divides. Depending on where the youth are located, there can be big gaps and voids when it comes to accessing opportunities; infrastructure, knowledge, skills transfer, supply chains, development programmes, Wi-Fi, electricity, education, funding and other resources are all desperately needed to offset future thought-leaders.
Get involved: Be part of a renewed perspective to problem-solving
Working in silos and igniting small flames won’t lead to any sustainable change. It is through initiatives such as the 50/50 Campaign that big business can encourage their employees to get involved and to unite with parents, communities and industries to push the spirit of collaborative teams achieving more.
The Rugby World Cup win showed South Africans that in putting our differences aside, having a united vision and working together, we can only win.
Number crunching
Forget the pie in the sky phenomenon. Let’s bring it home. Depending on a school’s specific needs, it can take R75 000 to R100 000 to run a High School Entrepreneurs Society for a period of one year, with employees joining hands to raise 50% of the costs while their employer foots the bill for the balance of the set-up costs.
This cost drops to about R40 000 – R50 000 after the first year.
The 50/50 Campaign gives businesses, parents, former students and other stakeholders the opportunity to unite and be #strongertogether.
This is not for everyone, but for those who are prepared to answer the call. If ever there was a time the youth and future generations need big business to step up, it is now. Things won’t always be like this. Opportunities like this won’t always be here, but for those who dare to rise, the revised future entrepreneurial landscape of this nation salutes you. You will be able to one day say, you did it. That when things were still gloomy, and many ran away: you contributed where it mattered most.
