The Youth Entrepreneurship Leadership Launchpad is making its way to northern BC from the Metro-Vancouver area.

The program provides resources, mentorship, and financing to start-up entrepreneurs and School District 91 in the Nechako Lakes region is picking it up.

“We see a lot of young people have this belief that if you’re smart you have to go to the city,” explains YELL Executive Director David Cameron.

“[SD 91] and our organization as well really believe in the power of the entrepreneurial mindset, entrepreneurial thinking, to empower youth to build a future for themselves in their local community.”

YELL is receiving $259,390 in funding form the Rural Dividend Program. Also on board is community partners such as Futurpreneur, which will help YELL in offering its for-credit Entrepreneurship 12 course to 30 students from rural and Indigenous communities starting September 2018.

Already being around for five years, Cameron says the program’s focus on getting into the community and first-hand learning elevates student interest.

“There is very little theory and a lot of real world experience,” he explains.

“They’re matched with mentors and they go out into the community to discover challenges and opportunities that they have to come up with some for of revenue-generating solution to solve.”

Four high schools in SD 91 will have the program for this fall.

Cameron does add, however, there is room to expand the program’s reach in the future.