Graduands celebrate completion of Launch Your Business Idea series

When the COVID-19-related lockdown forced the cancellation of official Parish Independence activities, the St. George Parish Independence Committee (PIC) shifted their focus to helping their people make the most of a very challenging situation.

With many residents facing severe financial challenges due to greatly reduced employment island-wide, the PIC reached out to the Barbados Youth Business Trust and created an online training course called “Launch Your Business Idea”. The eight-week series of webinars started on June 15, 2020 and was immediately oversubscribed.

The course concluded in mid-August with participants pitching their ideas on-line to a panel of judges drawn from various business sectors. This weekend at the Ellerton Wesleyan Holiness Church, these participants were presented with their certificates for successfully completing the training course. St. George Parish Independence Committee Chairman, Reuel Bourne explained that the series was part of the parish project for St. George, Connecting Entrepreneurs and Building Communities.

“Because of COVID-19, we have had to revamp the way we look at our project and look for new ways we can get out into the community,” said Bourne.

Cardell Furgusson, Managing Director (Ag) of Barbados Youth Trust, congratulated the participants for making it to the end and said she was pleased to finally meet them face to face for the first time since the online course concluded. Fergusson explained that partnering with community groups such as the St George PIC.

“We needed to find opportunities to go out into the communities and find entrepreneurs where they are, and in an effort to do so, what we did was that if there were community groups who are working with young people, they are the people whom we should partner with,” explained Fergusson.

The managing director highlighted that over 60 persons had completed registration for the initiative, but only 18 remained for the final class. However Fergusson said that it showed that there were at least 18 serious people interested in creating their own business, seeing that avenue as a way to be in control of their own life.

“We look forward to working with the St George Parish Independence Committee going forward  because we see that entrepreneurship, no matter where they are in Barbados, is a plus for economic development in Barbados,” said Fergusson.

Participants Chenic Smith, Kimesha Bannister, Raquon Clinkett, Johann Crichlow, Keywana Cobham-Hinds, Nya Jordan and Nicole Collymore were some of the Entrepreneurs who were present to receive their certificates. Some of the business ideas were based on agriculture, consultancy services, motivational speaking services and advertising.(AS)