InvitationPrimestars, YouthStart Foundation and Mail & Guardian invite you to the National Youth Entrepreneurship gala awards virtual event.
Date: Wednesday, 8 December 2021
Time: 11 am - 2 pm
Entertainment and speakers to be announced.
This is an awards ceremony for 7th instalment of the national youth entrepreneurship education programme titled, Step Up 2 A Green Start Up
Finalists are eligible to win prizes including bursaries, entrepreneurship courses, digital courses, incubation, internships, mentorship, digital gadgets and more. The winners of the different prizes will be announced at this ceremony.
BackgroundSince its inception in 2014, the Step Up 2 A Start Up National Youth Entrepreneurship programme has successfully utilised the unique cinema education model to activate the culture and mindset of entrepreneurship in over 80 000 high school learners, 2 500 teachers, participating from over 1 000 under-resourced township schools across South Africa.
This year’s instalment of the programme focuses on making youth aware of climate change, encouraging them to accept environmental responsibility and teaching them how to identify entrepreneurial opportunities in the green economy. The objectives are aligned with the President’s launch of the Climate Change Commission as well as this year’s COP26 Global Conference. Over 12 000 youth have benefitted from the programme since August 2021 and the top young entrepreneurs from township communities will be celebrated at this awards ceremony.
How does it work?The programme is implemented through the following stages:
Stage 1: 12 000 Grade 10 to 12 learners have attended national screenings at Ster Kinekor cinemas, in rural schools and online
www.primestarsdigital.co.za from 4 September (adhering to strict safety protocols).
Stage 2: A national competition was hosted for participants to start their journey to developing innovative business solutions in the green economy. Over 500 entries were received [Competition closed on 31 October]
Stage 3: The sponsors then adjudicate the best entries from across South Africa that will be shortlisted for the boot camp. [November]
Stage 4: The boot camp is then hosted in December where the top 9 teams (3 learners plus a teacher in each team) are flown to Johannesburg and accommodated to participate in a business boot camp and workshop sessions. [4 – 8 December]
Stage 5: Following the Dragon’s Den adjudication, the sponsors then identify the Step Up Young Entrepreneur of the Year, and all the prizes are handed over to the top teams at the Awards Ceremony. These prizes provide support to the teams beyond the programme. [8 December]
Partners and co-investorsSanlam, Omnia, Sasria, Clicks, Safripol, Absa, EOH, PAMSA, SAPPI, Mpact, SEDA, MMI, Mulilo, Regenesys Business School, Raizcorp, Regent Business School, Chieta, Richfield, University of Johannesburg, Allan Gray Orbis Foundation, Zutari, Women’s Development Business, Buhle Waste, ProudlySA, Uber, Kulula, Tourvest, DNG Energy, Protea Hotel Marriot, Sizwe IT, SA Airlink and Lift.