Canadian young entrepreneurs ENCOURAGE G20 leaders to promote a supportive global entrepreneurship culture
For immediate release
TORONTO – (September 24, 2015) – A delegation of young Canadian business leaders and representatives of Futurpreneur Canada (formerly the Canadian Youth Business Foundation) are among the hundreds of young entrepreneurs from G20 countries calling upon G20 leaders to promote global and local ecosystems that support entrepreneurship.
The G20 Young Entrepreneurs’ Alliance (YEA), a network of young entrepreneurs and the organizations that support them, held its sixth annual Summit in Istanbul from September 7-9. The resulting summit communiqué urges G20 leaders and others to recognize the importance of encouraging a culture of entrepreneurship as a key way to address the world’s twin challenges of slowing growth and rising youth unemployment.
“Young entrepreneurs play a vital role in the global economy, and their success is key to creating jobs, driving innovation and supporting communities,” said Olivier Letard, Board Member, Futurpreneur Canada and G20 YEA Canadian President. “All parts of society have a role to play in supporting young entrepreneurs, but G20 leaders are in an especially strong position to drive this change forward through policy and research that fosters a culture of entrepreneurship.”
The specific recommendations called out in the summit communiqué are as follows:
- Support specific educational and skills measures to encourage entrepreneurship.
- Initiate development of a G20-wide entrepreneur visa program.
- Adopt policies that address taxation and funding issues for entrepreneurs and high-impact SMEs.
- Develop digital infrastructure and services as a foundation for future growth and innovation.
- Focus on legal certainty and transparency.
- Support research to better understand how to promote entrepreneurial culture and the ecosystems that support it.
- Encourage collaboration between large corporations and entrepreneurs.
“Along with young entrepreneurs from the G20 countries, the Canadian delegation agrees that youth entrepreneurship is a solution to youth unemployment, and that supporting a culture of entrepreneurship will help create jobs, build strong communities and produce positive social change. I’m proud that the recommendations of the G20 YEA will be shared at the G20 Leader’s Summit in November,” said Déborah Cherenfant, Owner of Mots d’Elles Media and G20 YEA Summit Canadian delegate.
Co-published with the G20 YEA communiqué were two powerful new reports providing insights and entrepreneurship best practices to assist all G20 stakeholders and other’s promoting entrepreneurship. Both Accenture’s Harnessing the Power of Entrepreneurs to Open Innovation and EY’s From Classroom to Boardroom: Creating a Culture for High-Impact Entrepreneurship outline recommendations for supporting entrepreneurship, and both reports cite Futurpreneur Canada’s mentoring program as an industry best practice.
“The G20 YEA Summit communiqué and the research from our partners outline clear recommendations for supporting entrepreneurs and our next step as an organization is to begin meeting with government officials to begin implementing these action items,” said Julia Deans, CEO, Futurpreneur Canada.
For more information on the G20 Young Entrepreneurs’ Alliance (YEA), visit: https://futurpreneur.ca/en/initiatives/g20-yea/ or http://www.g20yea.com/.
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About Futurpreneur Canada
Futurpreneur Canada (formerly the Canadian Youth Business Foundation, or CYBF) has been fueling the entrepreneurial passions of Canada’s young enterprise for nearly two decades. We are the only national, non-profit organization that provides financing, mentoring and support tools to aspiring business owners aged 18-39. Our internationally recognized mentoring program hand matches young entrepreneurs with a business expert from a network of more than 2,700 volunteer mentors. Futurpreneur Canada is a founding member of the G20 Young Entrepreneurs’ Alliance, the Canadian member of Youth Business International, and the Canadian host of Global Entrepreneurship Week. staging.futurpreneur.ca. Facebook: Futurpreneur Twitter: @Futurpreneur
For interview opportunities and media inquiries, please contact:
Meghan Paton
Futurpreneur Canada
416-408-2923 x 2207
mpaton@futurpreneur.ca