It is often essential to take a multi-faceted approach in community development so that the needs of participants can be holistically met. With this in mind, we brought together our entrepreneurial courses with an outreach program to deliver an intensive course for 20 passionate business owners and prospective innovators in our communities.
In 2018, a team of dedicated executive members of Action Lab for Development Association worked together on this project to recruit, enroll and train participants in vital aspects of business development. As with many of our initiatives, the focus was not only on providing key skills to the students but also to in turn improve the lives of those around them in the long-term.
Aged between 18 and 35, the participants either wanted to start a business or were already running a business and aimed to improve its operation. Taking place at ACTLAB Center Bambui, they were given training on all key aspects of building and running a business, including how to create new business ideas, business models, demographics, value propositions, revenue streams, key resources and cost structures.
Feedback from the students was positive and they were immediately able to implement the knowledge they had gained from their training. Some of the key areas they suggested were of most benefit were identifying errors that prevented them from growing both in their personal lives and business, increased revenue and income and improved self-confidence around their goals and dreams in life.
In our own assessments, we noted that the training promoted continued growth within the community with the establishment of 6 start-ups in the community, 20 previously untrained youths gaining vital skills and 10 registering with Association Action Lab for Development to receive ongoing support.