SDC Empowers Youth in Portmore with Entrepreneurial Skills

Scores of young people from the community of Gregory Park in Portmore, St. Catherine were empowered through hands-on training in various entrepreneurial endeavours during the Social Development Commission’s (SDC) second annual Youth Entrepreneurship Skills Symposium (YESS!).

The workshop was held on Friday (August 29) at the Worldwide Church of God in Christian Gardens, Portmore in the parish.

Participants were trained in welding, candle-making, bouquet and gift basket creation, lash-extension techniques, and photography.

Highlighting the importance of the training session, Parish Manager for SDC Portmore, Ishiwawa Hope, explained that it was a stepping stone for youth in the community to access skills in areas that are offered at HEART/NSTA Trust, so they can start their own businesses.

“There’s a lot of things happening that they can empower themselves and create wealth within their communities, employ somebody else in the community. So, we saw it fit to have this session today to expose them to different skill areas and different partners within the government agency cohort that can link them to the opportunities that are out there,” Ms. Hope stated.

The participants were informed about various grants for start-up businesses offered by the Ministry of Labour and Social Security and the various opportunities available through the Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information and HEART/NSTA Trust.

Additionally, the SDC, through the Local Economic Development Support Programme (LEDSP), offers financial assistance, grants, market access and promotion, mentorship and networking as well as advisory and counselling service.

Ms. Hope expressed that following the training session, she expects the participants will internalise the information received and begin to view entrepreneurship as more than a hustle, and more of a “successful, profitable business that can help their families and communities.”

She added however that the SDC will continue to offer support to ensure that the workshop was impactful.

“We have a database of all the participants today and we will be tracking them over a six-month period where the [community] officer who’s assigned to Gregory Park will be checking in on them,” the Parish Manager said, adding that some participants will receive starter kits from a few of the skill areas covered during the workshop.

For his part, SDC Executive Director, Omar Frith, noted that the workshop is part of a national thrust to engage more youth in entrepreneurship, in alignment with the Government’s aim to create a resilient entrepreneurial base across the country.

As a result, the SDC, through LEDSP, plans to go into communities and offer training opportunities unique to that space.

“[The workshops] may not be identical to this one. We allow the various parish managers to examine their specific community spaces and then they tailor make the interventions that will be relevant to that space,” Mr. Frith noted.

“But the goal is to ensure that every single parish is rolling out various interventions to ensure that young people, marginalized people, disabled, every single Jamaican must have the opportunity to know that entrepreneurship is within their grasp,” he continued.

Meanwhile, State Minister in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Hon. Alando Terrelonge, hailed the event as a historic one, adding that he saw it as a good initiative when he was informed about it during the planning stage two months prior.

He encouraged the participants of the power they have, adding that their background or skin colour does not determine their future.

“In Jamaica, we have to recognise that this right here, your black skin and coming out of an inner-city community or developing community is not a barrier to you achieving greatness. It is not a barrier to you achieving wealth. I want…every youth living in a developing or inner-city community to understand that by the sweat of your brow, you too can achieve greatness,” he stated.

The workshop is an expansion of the SDC’s ‘Portmore Say Yes I’ project which is a youth, economic and sports initiative geared towards engaging young residents across the municipality.

Its aim is to get youths involved in governance and making decisions that impact their communities.