Entrepreneurs and supporters gather to expand youth entrepreneurship in Canada

At the first-ever Action Entrepreneurship Canadian Summit in Toronto, Ontario on May 13-14, 2014,  230 young entrepreneurs and supporters charted a path to boost youth innovation and enterprise throughout the country. They spoke constructively about the need for better, clearer and more coordinated support for young entrepreneurs and their businesses.

Hosted by Futurpreneur Canada (formerly the Canadian Youth Business Foundation, or CYBF), the Summit brought Canada’s best and brightest young entrepreneurs together with business and non-profit leaders, educators, policy makers and others to craft an action plan to grow young enterprise across Canada. The Summit also included top-notch speakers who are making a real difference in youth entrepreneurship in Canada, networking opportunities and professional development workshops.

There was resounding consensus on the key actions needed to fuel young enterprise and drive the Canadian economy. Actions centered around supporting entrepreneurship education and promoting entrepreneurship as a career option, helping people learn from business mistakes, improving financial literacy, increasing collaboration between governments and supporting networking between entrepreneurs and mentors.

The Summit built on the engagement of 1,000 leaders from across Canada through interviews, roundtable discussions and, with support from the Foundation for an Entrepreneurial Canada, a national survey of young entrepreneurs. (Click here to learn more about the activities that led up to the Summit.)

Futurpreneur Canada will compile the results of the Summit and release a national action plan this summer that will require further support and involvement of leaders in business, all levels of government and all sectors of the economy.

Futurpreneur Canada sincerely thanks our valued sponsors for generously supporting Action Entrepreneurship including BG Group, Clearwater Fine Foods, RBC Foundation, the Foundation for an Entrepreneurial Canada and ATB Business.

For more information, visit www.actionentrepreneurship.ca and join the conversation @Futurpreneur / #AECanada.