REAP Entrepreneurship Programme Participants to Benefit from Mentorship Initiative

Thirteen entrepreneurs who participated in the Realise, Embrace, Achieve Your Purpose (REAP) Entrepreneurship Programme are set to benefit from a six-month mentorship initiative with established private-sector businesses.

The REAP programme, implemented by the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ), through its Community Renewal Programme (CRP), is designed to empower entrepreneurs to become agents of change within their families and communities.

In an interview with JIS News, Technical Specialist for Socioeconomic Development in the CRP Unit at the PIOJ, Charmaine Brimm, explained that the 13 entrepreneurs were selected from an initial cohort of 59 participants drawn from vulnerable communities in St. James, Clarendon, and Kingston and St. Andrew.

“PIOJ partnered with the nonprofit, Young Women of Purpose (YWOP)/Young Men of Purpose (YMOP), to provide the training over a 14-month period,” she said.

“There was a pitch aspect to this entire training, and so we saw the presentation to 13 of the 59 who would have won the pitch competition. They were each awarded an amount of $80,000 towards tools that they need for expansion in their businesses,” Miss Brimm added.

She noted that the winners of the pitch competition will now benefit from the six-month mentorship programme.

“One of the key aspects of this training tool is that whilst we have culminated in terms of the one-year training, there is actually now a six-month post-coaching and business incubator that these persons are now going to be enjoying. This involves them being paired with a private-sector entity or another successful business person over the six months,” she said.

Miss Brimm indicated that during the mentorship period, the entrepreneurs will benefit from structured guidance and oversight.

“For the coaching, they will be paired with a private-sector organisation, such as Home Choice, or other successful business persons in their field. They will be walking with them, talking to them about their business, looking at things that they need to do, and providing that kind of oversight and input,” she said.

“What we expect to see after that mentorship for six months, based on where the business persons started, is some movement. Whether it is strengthening a business plan or improving bookkeeping, we would expect to see progress. While six months is not a very long time, we expect that they will begin applying some of the principles that they would have learned from their mentors in their businesses,” Miss Brimm added.