The idea
Kick start local business, subsidise work space and give people from disadvantaged backgrounds an equal opportunity! The London Youth Support Trust (LYST) enable young people with an entrepreneurial spirit to ‘Step Into Enterprise’ through our tested programme!
Tafadzwa Murdock (Taffy) set up his business, We Print Express, supported by LYST. Having been affiliated with a gang he describes his experience: ‘growing up in Brixton I was surrounded by a lot of negative influences. LYST gave me advice, support and a £5000 grant from the council which gave me the motivation to get the business off the ground.’ Operating from one of LYST’s incubator hubs, Taffy’s T-shirt printing business has gone from strength to strength.
With your help the Peckham Enterprise Centre will become the hub for local entrepreneurs. We work with young people from disadvantaged backgrounds who have a business idea and help them make it a reality. This is done through subsidised office space and workshops.
What we'll deliver
- 25 young unemployed people will attend our Step Into Enterprise programme.
- 5 young people will be given subsidised space on our two year programme
- 8 young people will be given the opportunity to work in our subsidised creative sheds in the enterprise garden
- We will design and create a shared space for delivery of our training support and shared workspace
- We will engage the community and have regular events on the street to ensure collective thinking
- We will host networking events for local entrepreneurs to collaborate and support one another.
Why it's a great idea
We will create pathways into work, support local business and become a stimulating new place for the community to come together. Let’s make Peckham an exciting place for enterprise! We are a charity and all of this is made possible through the generosity and support of our local and broader community.
Steps to get it done
- Continue to work with local entrepreneurs and select suitable candidates for two year subsidised workspace
- Engage with 25 young people at our enterprise days, utilise our home grown alumni businesses as ambassadors
- Operate enterprise training courses that give our young people the opportunity to test their business.
- Seek capital funding to sustain our project for the following year.
- Create a social media campaign to engage local budding entrepreneurs and market the Step Into Enterprise programme.
- Create an inspiring and suitable space to operate the Step Into Enterprise Programme, hot desk space and training.
- Develop our mentoring programme to create inspiring workshops and specialist support training as required.
- Offer ad hoc, timely relevant to our young start ups throughout the programme
- Offer one to one support to build a relevant, realistic and sustainable business plan and gain start up capital
- Work one on one with budding entrepreneurs to map suitable career path, work with key local agencies for further support
Since starting this centre we have had an overwhelmingly positive response, We have hosted our first round of enterprise training and had great uptake to our workshops. We are supported by Southwark Council and other local funders, we have filled the centre, created our enterprise garden and secured our first year of funding.
We now wish to sustain and build on this successful centre for a second year. In the next year we plan to put our name on the map as the go to place for local unemployed wishing to start their own business.
It is an innovative project that has the community at it's heart, it addresses youth unemployment whilst providing practical support that is not available elsewhere. What makes us unique is the space and combined approach which supports and nurture local talent. Our aim is to engage the local community in events and activities that are broad and attractive, that will clearly benefit our community. We ask the community to support us.
