By JOLENE OGLE
IF YOU are young, enthusiastic and looking to take a leap into the business world then Generation Innovation wants you and they’re offering $2500 to help kickstart your business dreams.
Launched in Noosa on Tuesday, Innovation Generation is a community-funded initiative designed to combat rising youth unemployment by offering enthusiastic youths aged between 15 and 25 the chance to start a business.
Ted O’Brien and Associates owner Ted O’Brien helped launch the initiative and said he joined the program because he believed community leaders needed to take responsibility for issues facing youth.
“Too often we’re overly reliant on government or business to solve community issues,” he said.
“But it’s time for individual citizens to take responsibility.”
Mr O’Brien said Generation Innovation was about unleashing innovation and discovering the genius of young people in a way that empowered them.
The program includes the development of entrepreneurial ideas, guidance from a business mentor and workshops to develop a business plan.
The youths who create a viable business plan will receive $2500 as seed capital to help kickstart their business.
Online voting will also take place to determine the overall winner and people’s choice business.
Generation Innovation board member Simon Verdouw said the seed capital was funded by local businesses and community leaders who donate $50 to the funding pool.
“We need to get young people starting work,” he said.
“I joined this initiative because it’s something I believe in.”
Mr O’Brien said it was important to wrap youths in the tools they needed to develop the great ideas they had, like networking opportunities and business contacts.“Everyone has genius in them,” he said. “Everyone has two to three seriously life-changing ideas and we need to unlock them.”
Any youths aged between 15 and 25 years are welcome to visit www.generationinnovation.com.au to register and get ready to leap into the world of business.
All you need is passion, an idea and a bit of get up and go, Mr O’Brien said.
“Our most important objective is to create a series of young local heroes out of everyday people,” he said.
