Indigenous Youth Entrepreneurship Program
Reaching Indigenous youth through relationship-centred entrepreneurship education, community partnerships, and experiential learning.
Entrepreneurship Begins With Relationship
THE OPPORTUNITY
Entrepreneurship education often focuses on developing business ideas, strengthening presentation skills, and preparing participants to pitch their concepts. While these outcomes remain important, there was an opportunity to create a more relationship-centred approach that reflected Indigenous ways of knowing and broadened how success was defined.
Working alongside educators, volunteers, community partners, and students, the goal was not simply to teach entrepreneurship, but to create an environment where confidence, leadership, and participation could develop in ways that felt meaningful and accessible to each student.
This approach expanded entrepreneurship beyond individual achievement and toward purpose, relationship, responsibility, and community impact, while maintaining the practical business skills at the heart of the program.
“Through this program, I have found that teamwork powers a business instead of money or a building. It's the community and people that pull it together."
- Program Participant
Translating Values Into Experience
PROGRAM DESIGN
At the heart of the program was a simple question: How do we move beyond teaching concepts and create experiences that students can genuinely connect with and carry forward?
Rather than viewing entrepreneurship as a linear path toward individual success, the program was redesigned to reflect the importance of relationship, reciprocity, purpose, and community. Indigenous ways of knowing were woven throughout the learning experience, not as a separate lesson, but as a foundation that shaped how students learned, participated, and engaged with one another.
A cedar weave became a guiding symbol throughout the program. Like entrepreneurship itself, cedar weaving requires both individual contribution and collective effort. Each strand strengthens the whole, illustrating how leadership, learning, and community are built through connection, patience, and shared purpose. The cedar-weave headbands presented at graduation became a visible symbol of belonging, carrying forward the understanding that entrepreneurship is not only about building a business, but also about strengthening community and sharing knowledge with others.
“The program helped me in delving into that vision and make it seem possible.”
- Owynn, Program Participant
Confidence Grows When People are Invited to Participate, Not Pressured to Perform.
A learning experience designed to build confidence through relationship, choice, and meaningful participation.
Creating Space for Every Voice
Storytelling played an important role in creating connection and engagement. Rather than filling silence or requiring immediate responses, volunteers were encouraged to share personal experiences, examples, and reflections that made concepts more relatable. These stories often sparked new ideas, helping students connect learning to their own lives and encouraging participation in ways that felt natural and authentic.
Over time, participation grew naturally. Students who initially sat quietly at the back of the room began moving closer to discussions, contributing ideas, collaborating with peers, and sharing their perspectives. By meeting students where they were rather than where we expected them to be, confidence developed as a result of relationship, not pressure.
This approach helped create an environment where students could engage in ways that reflected their individual strengths, while still contributing to a shared learning experience.
LEARNING ENVIRONMENT
“The engagement with Session 4 was quite high as the students could see their ideas taking shape!”
- Erik Janze, Instructor
The program coincided with a 33% increase in applications to UBC Sauder's Spitz Centre for Indigenous Business Education, reflecting growing interest in entrepreneurship pathways and continued learning opportunities.
33% Increase in Applications
OUTCOMES
Leadership Takes Many Forms
Throughout the program, students were guided to identify their strengths, explore their passions, and understand how those gifts could be used to create purpose and community impact. Leadership was not defined solely by who spoke on stage or held the most visible role. Instead, students learned that meaningful contributions take many forms and that every person has something valuable to offer.
As they developed their business concepts, students collaborated with their peers, discovered where their strengths complemented one another, and gained confidence in who they were rather than who they thought they should be. The focus was not on competition or comparison, but on supporting one another and working toward a shared goal.
By the time students gathered at the First Nations Longhouse to present their ideas, they were given the choice of how they wished to participate. Some chose to speak, others shared the speaking role with classmates, and some stood alongside their peers in support. Although students were given the option to step off the stage if they felt uncomfortable, every student chose to remain part of the graduation experience.
LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT
The Story Comes Full Circle
After nine weeks of learning, collaboration, and growth, students gathered at the First Nations Longhouse at UBC to share their ideas, celebrate their achievements, and recognize one another's contributions.
GRADUATION CELEBRATION
"Having a program dedicated for Indigenous students is such a big part for us. There has never been a program for Indigenous students, and it's just amazing to know that we could be a part of big things in the future."
Memorie Pelletier
Britannia Secondary School
"In weeks 3 or 4, there was a time when you could really see the confidence start to grow within the students. They opened with each other to share their strengths, their areas where they feel like they need support in. And through those conversations they were able to generate their business ideas."
Erik Janze
Instructor, North Vancouver District
"The growth, especially with the grade 10 students walking in, I think pretty timid to the program, but seeing by the end of it, they talked about how tremendous an experience it was for them, and how much they were able to gain knowledge of how to build a business."
Taylor Howes
Earl Marriott Secondary
"This experience has helped me through many different things, like relaxation, joy, and calmness. And to focus on my ancestors and to be able to share it on to the next generation."
Wesley Baker-Billy
Windsor Secondary School
The Impact in Their Own Words
After nine weeks of learning, collaboration, and growth, students gathered at the First Nations Longhouse at UBC to share their ideas, celebrate their achievements, and recognize one another's contributions.
VOICES FROM THE PROGRAM
"Having a program dedicated for Indigenous students is such a big part for us. There has never been a program for Indigenous students, and it's just amazing to know that we could be a part of big things in the future."
Memorie Pelletier
Britannia Secondary School
"In weeks 3 or 4, there was a time when you could really see the confidence start to grow within the students. They opened with each other to share their strengths, their areas where they feel like they need support in. And through those conversations they were able to generate their business ideas."
Erik Janze
Instructor, North Vancouver District
"The growth, especially with the grade 10 students walking in, I think pretty timid to the program, but seeing by the end of it, they talked about how tremendous an experience it was for them, and how much they were able to gain knowledge of how to build a business."
Taylor Howes
Earl Marriott Secondary
"This experience has helped me through many different things, like relaxation, joy, and calmness. And to focus on my ancestors and to be able to share it on to the next generation."
Wesley Baker-Billy
Windsor Secondary School
The Story Comes Full Circle
After nine weeks of learning, collaboration, and growth, students gathered at the First Nations Longhouse at UBC to share their ideas, celebrate their achievements, and recognize one another's contributions.
GRADUATION CELEBRATION
"This experience has helped me through many different things, like relaxation, joy, and calmness. And to focus on my ancestors and to be able to share it on to the next generation."
Wesley Baker-Billy
Windsor Secondary School
"Having a program dedicated for Indigenous students is such a big part for us. There has never been a program for Indigenous students, and it's just amazing to know that we could be a part of big things in the future."
Memorie Pelletier
Britannia Secondary School
"It's such an eye opener for the students to be able to participate in something they probably would have thought was out of reach."
Donna Mikl
Kwantlen Park Secondary
"The program like this is extremely important, especially for the youth just exploring entrepreneurialship and being mentored by individuals that are either entrepreneurs or have real life experience to pass along to the high school youth."
Corey Janvier
Founder and CEO, Cedar Brush Site Services and Janitorial
Instructor, North Vancouver District
"In weeks 3 or 4, there was a time when you could really see the confidence start to grow within the students. They opened with each other to share their strengths, their areas where they feel like they need support in. And through those conversations they were able to generate their business ideas."
Erik Janze
Instructor, North Vancouver District
"The growth, especially with the grade 10 students walking in, I think pretty timid to the program, but seeing by the end of it, they talked about how tremendous an experience it was for them, and how much they were able to gain knowledge of how to build a business or come up with pitch ideas."
Taylor Howes
Earl Marriott Secondary
"What you've witnessed is our young people stepping into their gifts, finding confidence, building real-world skills, and beginning to see a path forward that once might have felt out of reach."
Dennis Thomas-Whonoak
Executive Director
"This experience has helped me through many different things, like relaxation, joy, and calmness. And to focus on my ancestors and to be able to share it on to the next generation."
Wesley Baker-Billy
Windsor Secondary School
The impact of the program extended far beyond the classroom. Students gained practical entrepreneurship skills, stronger connections to their peers, greater confidence in their abilities, and a deeper understanding that leadership is not measured by visibility, but by how we contribute our strengths in support of one another and the collective success of the group.
The experience also created meaningful impact for volunteers, educators, and community partners. Volunteers shared that the program exceeded their expectations, providing opportunities for personal growth, relationship-building, and deeper understanding through the learning process. Educators and school districts expressed interest in continued collaboration, recognizing the value of an approach that combined entrepreneurship, belonging, and community-centered learning. These strengthened relationships helped create new opportunities for future partnerships and expanded pathways for Indigenous youth.
The Ripple Effect
— BEYOND THE CLASSROOM—
Let's Build Something Meaningful Together
Whether you're planning a workshop, strengthening leadership, designing a program, or navigating organizational change, I'd love to learn more about your goals and explore how we can work together.
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