St. Lucian YLAI Professional Fellow Returns Ready to Teach Entrepreneurship

SLUDTERA would like to inform its readers and followers that Michelle N. Samuel, St. Lucian YLAI Professional Fellow, returns ready to teach Entrepreneurship. 

Having attended the YLAI Entrepreneurship Ecosystems Everywhere Initiative or EEE Initiative, which was held in Montego Bay, Jamaica from December 3rd to the 6th, 2019, at the Hilton Rose Hall Resort & Spa, she now has the necessary tools required to teach Entrepreneurship in St. Lucia.

Michelle departed St. Lucia on December 2nd 2019 for Jamaica, to participate in the “Training-of-the-Trainers” Program, as the initiative was dubbed, along with twenty nine other YLAI Professional Fellows from the Caribbean and Latin America. The initiative was open to all YLAI Alumni from 2016 to 2018, but Organizers would select only thirty Professional Fellows to participate.

Initiative Agenda

Day 1:Entrepreneurial Leadership Framework, Cultural Bus Tour – Participants develop themselves as entrepreneurs through workshops, lectures, and a case study. This is followed by a bus tour to explore Jamaica.

Day 2:Business Development Framework – Participants prepare business plans, discuss personnel management, and fundraising.

Day 3:Ecosystem Development Framework – Participants discuss best practices for ecosystem development, create plans for small grants project, pitch ideas for feedback.

Day 4: Fellows depart + (Optional) Cultural Bus Tour – Participants head back home with the inspiration and knowledge to implement an action plan. There will also be an optional morning cultural excursion led by a YLAI Alum.

The training began with introductions and an ice-breaker which helped to re-connect previous City hub Fellows, and to introduce those from other years who have never met before. 

Several activities were held which included Interactive Journal, Networking and Pitching, all with the intent to build each participant’s ability to achieve their goal. When asked about the project that she planned to launch and teach in St. Lucia next year, Michelle responded,

“Well I am very excited about the project that I will be launching in 2020. I thank my heavenly Father first and foremost for this opportunity that He has made it possible. I have to acknowledge Him in this because what I’m about to embark on is nothing small. The 3 Day Startup Team did a phenomenal job in the way the training was delivered and it taught me so much more than what I already knew, proving that one learns something new everyday.”

“With regards to the project that I’m working on, it’s an answer to some prayers of many startups in the local community, and Financial Institutions. I will be partnering with International agencies such as the U.S. Department of State, Education & Cultural Affairs, the U.S. Embassy, Bridgetown, a Team in Barbados and other YLAI Professional Fellows. I will also be partnering with local agencies such as BELFUND, and some very well-known and successful Entrepreneurs, to effectively execute the course which will be delivered to women in St. Lucia. I also hope to bring on board the St. Lucia Youth Business Trust, the Ministry of Commerce, and the Ministry of Education, Innovation and Gender Relations, as this course’s curriculum could be available to persons at the Tertiary as well as professional level. The goal is to impact at least 800 women Entrepreneur startups in St. Lucia, by the end of 2025.”

What is the EEE Initiative?

The Entrepreneurship Ecosystems Everywhere Initiative (EEE Initiative) is a 3-day in-person “Training-of-the-Trainers” program covering development frameworks for entrepreneurs, businesses, and ecosystems, as well as a small grants program for participants to apply the development frameworks in their home communities.

The EEE Initiative creates increased entrepreneurial growth and activity throughout the Caribbean region, Brazil, and Belize – encouraging venture development, job creation, and regional prosperity. The EEE Initiative was seeking 30 alumni from the Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative (YLAI) Professional Fellows Program to equip them with the skills to teach entrepreneurship in their home communities. The EEE Initiative creates a pipeline of qualified entrepreneurship educators to act as mentors and leaders for future generations of entrepreneurs.

At the end of the program, participants would be able to apply for small grants for the implementation of their ecosystem training plan in order to:

• Promote entrepreneurial skills in the new generations
• Stimulate entrepreneurship
• Promote self-employment through the creation and strengthening of businesses
• Grow the YLAI network in your country