CEED's Fresh Ideas: Speaker AnnouncedCEED Centre for Entrepreneurship Education & Development is excited to announce Arlene Dickinson will be this year's keynote speaker at the annual Fresh Ideas conference held during Small Business Week on October 20 Jennifer's JourneyThe Youth Employability Project (YEP) is a social entrepreneurship program that takes an innovative approach to working with youth who have been exposed to the social assistance and child welfare system. Youth Navigators at YEP work side by side with participants, getting to know them, encouraging them to pursue their dreams and use their interests and skills to chart their futures. With YEP’s ongoing support, youth build upon the personal characteristics, skills, attitudes and resources that they possess or are developing to create a bright future for themselves. 18-year-old Jennifer Clark is a YEP participant who is creating a bright future for herself. Jennifer came to YEP in August 2006 after being recruited by a new YEP Youth Navigator.
Interview with Jennifer Clark, YEP Participant How did you become involved with YEP? What has been the biggest change in your life since coming to YEP? What have you learned about yourself since coming to YEP? What advice would you give someone that is entering into Department of Community Services? The best advice I can give is to be patient; that is what I had the most trouble with. Your caseworker will have a lot of other youth on their caseload. If you just wait I promise your case-worker will get back to you. Give them time to get back to you, they will call you back and things will begin falling into place. Over the past two years, Jennifer has lived the principles of entrepreneurship through her experiences with YEP. She has recognized the value of experiential learning and is volunteering to build the skills and knowledge that she will need in a social work career. She is developing her adaptive skills and now practices patience, prioritizes and, according to her Youth Navigator, “is the most organized person I know”. She has achieved some of her greatest accomplishments in life thus far while participating in YEP, and has learned that if she sets her mind to something, there is nothing she cannot do. Jennifer has learned, as entrepreneurs do, how important determination is in reaching your goals and how crucial it is to find resources and support systems that will help you achieve your dreams. CEED's Second Chance Program Poised to extend its ReachBy Kathy Murphy Nova Scotian Entrepreneurs represented at the CEED-hosted Dragons' Den auditionsCEED hosts Largest Atlantic Canadian Auditions For entrepreneurs, it’s the opportunity of a lifetime – a shot at pitching their business idea to a panel of major league investors. On Saturday, May 10, would-be moguls gathered at CEED to audition for Season 3 of CBC’s reality television series, Dragons' Den. The show allows entrepreneurs to strut their stuff in front of a panel of ‘dragons’ (made up of some of Canada’s top business leaders) in an attempt to secure investors for their business idea. The Halifax auditions, here at CEED, brought out more than 40 entrepreneurs from across Nova Scotia, with ideas and products ranging from the creative to the ingenious to the ‘I-can’t-believe-no-one-has-ever-done-this-before.’ In the CEED Training Centre, people awaiting their turn to audition were provided a distraction in the form of a tradeshow of services including Canadian Intellectual Property Office, Entrepreneurs Forum, the Association of Community Business Development Corporations and CEED. People prepared for the big shot differently. Some paced back and forth, practicing their pitch under their breath. Others took advantage of the tradeshow and made connections with the other applicants. One entrepreneur used the wait time to catch up on sleep, curling up on a comfortable sofa in the middle of the room. Dragons' Producer Mike Armitage and CEED Business Development Officer Ashley Urqhuart spent more than 8 hours hearing pitches and interviewing applicants. “We were really impressed by the caliber of the ideas, and of the products,” says Ashley. “Quite a few of the entrepreneurs are being invited to Toronto to tape a segment, which speaks to the entrepreneurial culture here in Nova Scotia.” Of those chosen, four were CEED clients who returned a week later to prepare to meet the dragons by practicing their pitches on a slightly less intimidating panel – members of CEED’s volunteer Loan Review Committee. “The members of our loan committee have pretty impressive backgrounds,” says Ashley. “They really know their stuff so they were able to help our entrepreneurs to fine-tune their pitches.” Dragons' Den Season 3 begins airing on CBC in October 2008. http://www.cbc.ca/dragonsden/blog2/2008/05/there_must_be_something_in_the.html Local Entrepreneurs enter the DenGreen Choi Kwang Do Challenges the Dragon's to a Duel ! When 23-year-old Alana Green decided she wanted to run a martial art boot camp, she knew she needed help to get that extra spring into the program’s step. She quickly called upon her colleague at the Saint Mary’s University Safe Walk program, Dawson Wamboldt, for assistance. Dawson, also 23, is an ex-Canadian Forces member who has just under 5 years service as an Officer in the Army’s most physically demanding trade, the Infantry. “I knew that I didn't have a strong enough fitness background to make it as good as it could be,” says Alana. “I knew that Dawson had been in the army so I asked him for some ideas for exercises similar to what he would have taught in the military.” Luckily, she says, Dawson was keen on the business prospect and full of great ideas and knowledge. Alana and Dawson have combined their extremely different backgrounds in an interesting way. Alana is a Black belt in Choi Kwang Do and owner of Green Choi Kwang Do, for which she has won several entrepreneurial awards and titles, while Dawson is currently studying psychology at Saint Mary’s University. During his time in the military, Dawson received training to become a qualified PT Instructor, a position that allowed him to implement the intense daily fitness training that soldiers’ endure. With their abundance of knowledge they have created Astute Force, a mostly web-based company which sells merchandise and equipment for affiliates and individual users. This company also offers a brand-new total fitness program, Martial Art Boot Camp, which combines the vigorous training style of the military with the core skills of martial arts training. The program is designed for any martial art, but when training affiliates do not have a martial art background, Choi Kwang Do will be taught. “The Martial Art Boot Camp is intended to give athletes of all levels a strong start or boost to their fitness program, be it through physical motivation or a more dynamic training philosophy,” says Alana, “Fitness and martial art instructors will gain a valuable program that will become a favorite among students and appeal to a new market.” Since opening Astute Force and developing their Martial Art Boot Camp, Alana and Dawson have been selected to appear on the third season of CBC’s Dragons' Den series. They auditioned for show producers at CEED in early May. 
Student in Business Expose: Green Choi Kwang DoCEED’s Students in Business Facilitator Kelly Arnold experiences firsthand (and foot!) a business she helped create. CEED Sponsors ICSB ConferenceThe 53rd annual International Council for Small Business (ICSB) Conference took place in Halifax from June 22-25 at the World Trade and Convention Centre and this year’s topic was, “Advancing Small Business & Entrepreneurship: From Research to Results”. CEED was a proud sponsor of this event and participated alongside 30 other exhibitors showcasing and promoting services ranging from local companies, community stakeholders, business service providers and federal government agencies. More than 650 people from around the world attended the event and brought a wealth of knowledge and experience to our community. This was an excellent opportunity for CEED as we were able to network with a multitude of business professionals from countries all over the world including; the United States of America, Brazil, Ireland, Italy, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Australia and Japan. 
“Here at CEED we look at entrepreneurship as a way of life, and this conference was a great way of seeing how others view entrepreneurship around the world.” says Kathy Murphy, CEED’s President, “The research and practices presented at the conference are extremely helpful to delivery agents, such as CEED, in serving the needs of our clients.” CEED’s work in social entrepreneurship through the Second Chance program was highlighted during a presentation by Edward Matwawana. Edward co-presented a workshop entitled, “Working With Youth in Conflict With the Law – Using Entrepreneurship as an Agent for Social Change”, which discussed the goal of the Second Chance program; to help participants develop positive attitudes and gain the skills necessary to become productive citizens. During the last 10 years, the Second Chance program has worked with more than 100 youth, and less than 5% have re-offended. These youth have gone on to continue their education, start their own businesses and secure gainful employment while using the skills gained from participating in the program. To find out more about the Second Chance program check out the website at www.ceed.info/sc/ The International Council for Small Business, founded in 1955, was the first international membership organization to promote the growth and development of small businesses globally. ICSB promotes the development of knowledge in all areas of business theory and practice and pays specific interest to strategies and policies that have proven to be effective in sustaining small businesses and entrepreneurship. Find out more about ICSB at www.icsb.org. Diane Ablonczy, Secretary of State for Small Business and Tourism visits CEED
During her visit, Ms. Ablonczy was given a tour of CEED’s offices by President Kathy Murphy and board members Annette St-Onge and Dr. Robert Berard. Ms. Ablonczy was interested in learning about the variety of programs and services CEED has to offer, and a key area of interest for her was hearing about CEED’s loan clients’ overall experience, as well as specific details including gender breakdown and success rates. CEED currently offers three loan programs: ACOA Seed Capital, Canadian Youth Business Foundation and the Students in Business program. “The visit of the secretary of State Ablonczy and her emphasis on entrepreneurship being the driving force of business in Canada are great indicators of the value and importance of the work CEED in creating an entrepreneurial culture in the Atlantic region” says Kathy Murphy, CEED’s President. CEED’s contribution to social entrepreneurship through the Youth Employability Project and the Second Chance program was also highlighted during the visit. Ms. Ablonczy had the opportunity to briefly observe one of the programs’ sessions and meet with some of the program participants. “It was great for our participants to be able to meet Ms. Ablonzcy,” says Edward Matwawana, Manager of the Second Chance program, “It is extremely encouraging to the participants, as well as the program, that someone of such prominence recognizes the important work being done here.” CEED is celebrating 15 years of community and social development through entrepreneurial education and looks forward to continuing to make a positive impact on the region for many years to come. Before Ms. Ablonczy was elected to the House of Commons in 1993, she had a career as a teacher, entrepreneur, and a lawyer. Ms. Ablonczy was named Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance in February 2006 and Secretary of State for Small Business and Tourisum in 2007. For more information on Ms. Ablonczy check out her website at http://www.dianeablonczy.com/. |
at the World Trade and Convention Centre in Halifax, NS. 
Almost two years later, after much hard work and determination, Jennifer is one of YEP’s newest shining stars and exciting success stories. On a sunny spring day, Jennifer took time from her busy schedule to share her story with us.
On Tuesday June 24, the Hon. Diane Ablonczy, P.C., M.P., Secretary of State for Small Business and Tourism, paid CEED a visit. Ms. Ablonczy was in Halifax to attend the International Council of Small Business conference as a panelists in the plenary panel session, “Address barriers and constraints to entrepreneurship and SME development: An International Perspective", and wanted to leave Nova Scotia with a clear understanding of the state of small business in the province.