2008 Framework for Action - Diverse Ontario - Ontario.ca

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25
From Queendom Hijabs
to Bombay Bounce
How do you foster a spirit of entrepreneurship
and innovation among young people with
diverse abilities, backgrounds and ideas? You
provide support – not just financial support to
get an idea for a summer business off the ground,
but practical support through training and
mentoring that will help a young entrepreneur
learn and overcome challenges along the way.
The Summer Company program of the Ministry
of Small Business and Entrepreneurship is
open to students aged 15 to 29. The program
is coordinated and delivered at the community
level by a network of Small Business Enterprise
Centres. The ministry has expanded the reach
of Summer Company to youth who were not
traditional participants in the program through
partnerships with not-for-profit community
organizations.
The business ideas emerge from the experience
of young people, like Abeer Al-Azzawi of
Ottawa, who started a summer business to
make funky and functional hijabs for Muslim
women, including a line of hijabs for sports. Not
limiting herself to retail stores, Abeer marketed
Queendom Hijabs through e-commerce to
reach international customers for her growing
enterprise.
Jesse Whitney of Sundridge started J&F
Firewood to supply residents, cottagers and
campers. With support from the Business Centre
in Nipissing/Parry Sound, he discovered skills
he “didn’t know he had.” The J is for Jesse, who
has visual impairment, and the F is for his guide
dog Fudge. He planned to continue his business
part-time while back at school.
Sajmun Sachdev developed her idea for a
company, called Bombay Bounce, offering dance
classes to children and adults in Toronto. She
had no previous business training, and learned
about business setup, insurance, registration,
marketing and other entrepreneurial skills.