1. Youth Engagement & Entrepreneurship
MAV 2016 Power to the People Conference
Youth Engagement & Entrepreneurship
Rupert North,
Coordinator, Youth & Middle Years
Yarra City Council

2. Overview A bit about the City of Yarra
The need for something different
Young Entrepreneurs Program
What next?
Questions

3. A bit about the City of Yarra
Population 86,506 in 2014, of this 12,150 are aged 12 – 25
Highly sought after for livability – arts, culture, proximity to Melbourne, access to public transport, heritage, open space, retail strips and thriving night time economy
While Yarra has many affluent residents, we also have some of the most disadvantaged communities in Australia
Over 8,000 people – 10% of our population – live in public housing
Include basic overview of Yarra Youth Services
Youth Centre in Fitzroy
Number of youth engagement, leadership and development programs
Individual Support Program, plus ETE support
Sector development – partnerships - collaboration

4. The need for something different
Youth Unemployment is at its highest levels since the 1990s
Unemployment in Melbourne’s North rising from 8.4% in 2009, to 14.7% in 2015
Young people – especially those from CALD backgrounds were telling us how hard it was finding work (even with university quals)
Growing body of evidence to support entrepreneurship (FYA, etc.)
Young Entrepreneurs Program was developed as an innovative response to increasing youth unemployment – and requests from young people for assistance in developing their own small business ideas. It was a collaboration between Youth Services & Economic Development Units at Council.

5. The need for something different
“Start-Ups created 1.44 million jobs between 2006 and 2011.”
(National Innovation and Science Agenda)
“Significant job growth is occurring through
young people running their own small business, and this is an increasingly viable career option”
(Inner Northern Youth Employment Taskforce Report 2014)
Young Entrepreneurs program was informed by current research into addressing youth unemployment through the support of youth-focussed incubators and entrepreneurial activity
Increasing calls for councils to “adjust their budgets for Economic Development to support the establishment of incubators – particularly for young entrepreneurs” (Youth Now, 2015)
The Young Entrepreneurs Program used best practice principles as outlined by the OECD:
Opportunity Creation – focuses on making places conducive to youth entrepreneurship and increasing public support for creating the necessary frameworks
Entrepreneurship Education – Generating motivation, attitudes and competencies in entrepreneurship
Start-up Support – Making entrepreneurship support systems accessible and attractive to young future entrepreneurs
The Yarra Young Entrepreneurs program demonstrated the City of Yarra’s responsiveness to current trends and best practice in entrepreneurship and job creation.

6. Young Entrepreneurs Program
Objectives
Objectives
Provide opportunities for young people age 16 – 25 to participate in a collective that assists them in developing their entrepreneurial ideas;
Provide a viable and real option for young people to create their own employment; and
Develop employability skills of young people to increase chances of getting work

7. Young Entrepreneurs Program
Program Delivery
Selection
Target group were largely of CALD background
Living on Public Housing Estates
Struggling to find employment
Limited or no connection to employers
Had business ideas and motivation
Stage 1
Co-design of the program with the young people
Workshops on key topics (facilitated by Enterprising Partnerships)
Presentations from established local entrepreneurs
Stage 2
Matched with mentors in local business community
Young Entrepreneurs program was planned and developed by Yarra Youth Services in partnership with Economic Development Unit
Stage 1 –
Discussing with the YP what they want from the program – asking them what they want it to look like and what they’d like to get out of the program – using a youth participation model
Workshops facilitated by Enterprising Partnerships, who were approached due to their expertise in youth entrepreneurship. Topics covered included business planning, social media marketing, event management and pitching business ideas.
The participants also heard from established local young entrepreneurs about their experiences of starting up a business
Stage 2 –mentors in local business community provided one on one support and an ongoing connection to the business sector. Mentors played a critical role in supporting the young person to gain more insight into an industry. Mentors were also able to pass on their knowledge, wisdom, stories, supports and networks so that the young person is better prepared to navigate the challenges and opportunities they encounter throughout their entrepreneurial journey.

8. Young Entrepreneurs Program
Impact
“One thing that Yarra has done really nicely is created networks for these young people that they never would have had in their own right” (Stakeholder)
Outcomes
New knowledge, new skills;
Increased confidence, motivation and self-belief;
2 young people have started their own businesses;
5 young people successfully attained employment;
2 young people successfully applied for, and have commenced Getting Down to Business program;
3 young people have been offered office space in local co-working spaces free of charge or at a heavily-subsidised rate;
Young Entrepreneurs Program was Category Winner in the Youth Economic Participation category in this year’s National Awards for Local Government
Evaluation Findings outlined a few major themes -
Role of Council – program is ideally suited to delivery by a partnership between Youth Services and Economic Development units
Implementation – number of factors that supported the successful implementation of the Young Entrepreneur program, including: the role of the Program Leader in supporting the young people and organizing the multiple stakeholders; content and delivery of the 1st stage of the program; and the opportunity to build networks in the business world.
Pathways and Progress towards Start-ups – quantitative results (above, stats)
Getting Down to Business is a free youth entrepreneurship initiative funded by the Victorian Government and delivered by Enterprising Partnerships

9. Questions

10. What Next? Regional Approach
City of Yarra is collaborating with neighbouring councils City of Darebin and City of Moreland to further develop youth entrepreneurship in the northern metro region.
Yarra Youth Services committed to continuing employment support and mentoring for young people
City of Yarra, City of Darebin and City of Moreland have all collaborated to provide the Young Entrepreneurs in the North program, which commenced in July 2016.
Each council has a lead staff member from the Youth Services and Economic Development departments involved in planning and delivering this program.
Funding has been committed by each council.

11. Thank You Questions E: Rupert.North@yarracity.vic.gov.au