Kidovate program fosters Victoria’s young entrepreneurs
May 30, 2019, Victoria, BC –Kidovate Victoria 2019, a youth entrepreneurship initiative created by the UVic’s Gustavson School of Business, was held on May 25 at The Bay Centre. Thirty young entrepreneurs ranging in age from 10 to 16 sold a variety of handcrafted items including animal “stuffies,” jewelry, greeting cards, plants, bath bombs, soap, cookies, snow cones and more. “I was blown away by the creativity and quality of the product,” says Dr. Brock Smith, area champion for entrepreneurship at Gustavson. “These young entrepreneurs engaged with Bay Centre customers, articulately explained their value proposition, and made sales,” says Smith.
Kidovate is a fun, free, youth entrepreneurship experience that encourages and helps youth become entrepreneurs and learn by doing. It was designed to foster entrepreneurial spirit, develop business acumen and instill a sense of corporate social responsibility at an early age. Kidovate participants decide what they want to make, learn how to make it, sell it at a Kidovate market and donate part of their proceeds to a charity of their choice. Smith says, “This is our first Kidovate market, a pilot of what we expect to be an annual event. We hope that in the future hundreds of youth will participate and gain valuable life skills related to creating new value. Next year we hope middle school and high school teachers, and home-school parents will want their students to participate. By participating over successive years, youth will gain a lot of experience that will help them become innovators and change agents in whatever career they choose.”
Kidovate resources that support youth through their entrepreneurial journey include a graphic novel workbook, access to UVic student mentors, and a learning guide for educators that is tied to the new BC curriculum.
Media contact:
Krista Boehnert, Gustavson School of Business | 250-721-6630 | bizcomm@uvic.ca