The idea
Starting a business can be very rewarding but also very daunting, especially for younger people. They can have brilliant ideas but think it's too risky because they lack experience or cash.
Wouldn’t it be great if we could take away some of that risk and give them different opportunities to try out their ideas first by test-trading to the general public? And wouldn’t it be even better if one of these opportunities was a pop up youth market that everybody could visit and enjoy.
The Manchester Youth Market programme wants to do both: create real-life opportunities for budding entrepreneurs aged 16 – 30 to test trade to the public AND set up a youth market that will pop up in unusual places for young people to showcase their talent.
It costs £55,356 to set up and run this exciting programme for the first 12 months.
WE PLEDGED £29,247 - PLEASE HELP US RAISE THE REST!
If you do we believe that we can make the Manchester Youth Market the most successful in the country!
What we'll deliver
- Get gazebos, tables, lights, power and transport to run 8 markets from May to December 2016
- Schools will have free places on the programme so that our youngest Mancunians can also get a taste of enterprise
- Those that need it most can get up to £250 to become trade-ready
- We will recruit 80 young people and help them develop their video application
- We will set up: prime retail space on Oxford Road, an online market place, incubation places and guest stalls at markets
- Young artists will use the pop up markets as a stage to perform and help us attract more visitors
Why it's a great idea
Many of Manchester's young people do not have the same opportunities as their peers in other parts of the country to turn their potential into successful careers.
Our charity, We Love MCR, was set up to improve the lives and life chances of Mancunians. Our project the Manchester Youth Market would do exactly that.
We will raise young people's aspirations, grow their confidence, help them become more enterprising and better able to compete for jobs.
We will help start more and more successful businesses, reducing our business survival rate compared to the UK average.
We will encourage these businesses to give something back to Manchester - employing local people, buying from local suppliers, supporting local communities and protecting our environment.
The youth market will become a popular and permanent part of Manchester's event calendar for everybody to visit and enjoy. It will act as a feeder for our much-loved other markets and guarantee their long-term future.
Steps to get it done
- A digital agency will help us develop the online market place by end September
- Our partners have agreed to deliver free enterprise and business start-up support and help us with recruitment
- Recruitment starts end September; we will organise a boot camp in January; test trading will begin February
- An experienced project manager will run the programme free of charge and consult young people at all stages
- We have first refusal for hiring the 2nd floor of a prime retail outlet on Oxford Road
- We will evaluate the programme and develop a roll out plan including a charging policy and sponsorship packages
- We will launch the pop up market in May - Manchester Markets will provide free licensing, technical, logistical support
- We will recruit, offer test trading and run montly pop up markets till December
YOUR REWARDS IF WE ARE SUCCESSFUL!
If you donate £25 or more you will receive the unique Manchester Youth Market T-shirt.
If you donate £250 or more you will become an official Supporter of Manchester Youth Market. Your donation will get a mention on social media; you can have your name and logo listed on the Supporters page of our online market place; you can use ‘Supporter of Manchester Youth Market’ and our logo for your own PR.
OTHER WAYS TO SUPPORT THE PROGRAMME
We are keen to hear from people and businesses that want to support our young entrepreneurs in other ways: mentoring, expert advice, giving talks, tenders for work, etc.
Let us know on [email protected]
HELP US PROMOTE OUR CAMPAIGN!
If you like our project please help us promote our fundraising campaign - send this page link to friends and family, employees and suppliers, followers on Twitter or Facebook.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT.
