About this Report
The 2019 Anzisha Prize Forum focused on Very Young Entrepreneurs (VYEs) as agents of change in their societies. One component of the Forum was a stakeholder workshop with six stakeholder groups who comprise the ecosystem that supports VYEs. These stakeholders were: Educators; Investors; Policy makers; Parents; VYEs; and Incubators.
This report summarizes discussions and lessons emerging from the VYE workshop. Key takeaways from the workshop included:
- The education system should provide youth with practical entrepreneurial skills, while encouraging them to innovate and be creative in developing solutions to problems in their communities and beyond.
- Internships and on the job training are valuable forms of practical education. They allow VYEs to gain first-hand experience in running a business, and inspire them to push forward in starting and managing their own.
- Running entrepreneurial campaigns provides an effective way of reaching large groups of people and providing information about entrepreneurship and its benefits. The campaigns could include advertising, building learning hubs, and hosting town hall discussions, amongst other approaches.
- In order for policies and regulations to support entrepreneurs, the entire system should work towards the same goal. This means that educational policies, trading regulations, and business mandates should create an ecosystem where it is more straightforward for VYEs to start and run businesses.
