DEDAT expands Global Entrepreneurship Week to Western Cape Entrepreneurship Month

The future of youth entrepreneurship in the Western Cape is bright indeed. Scorching November heat in Villiersdorp, George, Oudtshoorn and Veldrift could not keep the youth away from attending a series of workshops geared towards starting their own businesses. As part of global entrepreneurship week – which hosts thousands of events catered to millions of people - the Department of Economic Development and Tourism held a series of workshops at Youth Cafes, which focused on ideation, fundraising, and social media optimization, with the aim of encouraging youths in smaller towns to start their own businesses and promoting entrepreneurship as a skill.

The week was dedicated to targeting young start-ups, in townships and rural areas. The initiative diverged from the usual practice of having "suits-and-ties" teaching business advice to a generic audience. Talks were conducted by experts and business owners who understand "millennial culture". The power of the workshops rested on the use of minimal technical jargon, colorful, easy-to-follow presentations, and concrete, usable business tips. Participants received tangible help in creating their business plans, checking idea feasibility, and understanding the importance of digital skills and having an online presence in the modern age of business.

Yet, a single visit is unlikely to make a lasting impact on the current youth situation, where work prospects are limited. After engaging with management at the Youth Cafes, the Department of Economic Development and Tourism is looking into options for longer term support, whereby contact is maintained and visits occur more frequently. A key goal is to move rural economies into the mainstream economy through targeted government support and assistance which creates an enabling environment for businesses to thrive.

While such interventions only scratch the surface of the problem, they do provide an excellent basis for gauging the demands and challenges faced by the locals. Thus, the planned November month's events involved a range of activities, from workshops with young start-ups, to recognizing the cream of the entrepreneurial crop at the Western Cape Entrepreneurship Expo, Summit and Awards.

Youth and start-ups are very much interlinked. So more start-ups need to be equipped with the skills to build SME’s. These workshops include themes such as business ideation, to maximizing “likes” through developing a social media plan.

If you’d like to join the conversation around entrepreneurship, tackling red tape, and supporting growth of the Western Cape economy, the remaining schedule of activities is outlined below.