Teaching youth how to set up businesses

 

By Criseida Martínez Marco*

 

ThinkYoung, “the first think tank that focuses on young people”, the University of Hong Kong and Huawei are going to launch the 10th edition of the Entrepreneurship School in Hong Kong. 

The programme of the School  will last 5 days and will take place from the 5th to the 9th of January 2015. Speakers will be renowned entrepreneurs from different fields, from fair trade coffee to film production, fashion and space expeditions. The aim of the programme is to enable participants to develop their business ideas and encourage them to reach their professional targets. 

TheEntrepreneurship School is one of ThinkYoung’s many projects. It takes place twice a year both during summer and winter in two different locations, Hong Kong and Brussels. ThinkYoung’s Entrepreneurship Schools were first introduced during the summer of 2011 in Brussels with the intention of  helping  young Europeans who had creative start up ideas but did not know how to set up a business. However, up to today, the School has gained experience and has grown tremendously. 

Through the Entrepreneurship School, young entrepreneurs are encouraged to unlock their true potential, which is done by helping them build up their confidence and expand the skills needed to develop their entrepreneurial ideas. Christian, a French student from the 2014 Winter School in Hong Kong experienced this:«Overall, the visit here really changed my mind about shaping a company».  

Entrepreneurship School initiatives are made possible thanks to the support of a team of mentors who supervise and support the implementation of students’ projects. In the next edition, six successful entrepreneurs are ready to help young people with creative start up ideas but lacking practical knowledge on how to set up a business.

Charles Mok will be one of them. He is one of the ICT industry pioneers in Hong Kong, as Honorary President of Hong Kong Information Technology Federation, former Chairman of Hong Kong Internet Service Providers Association, and Co-founder of Internet Society Hong Kong. 

Another speaker will be Alex Tang, CEO of SXC Asia, who leads the company’s business expansion in Greater China. The School will also count on the participation of Cindy Ko, an influential fashion blogger based in Hong Kong. She has been featured in major magazines and covers many-large fashion events, including Fashion Week in New York and Australia.

Apart from them, our list of speakers will be filled with other successful entrepreneurs such as Joao Seabra, (founder of Jump Willy), Jim Coke (founder of Hilmann Reinier) and Simon Squibb (founder of Nest.vc).

«Can Entrepreneurship be taught?» Maybe this question does not have answer. However, the speakers will bring their experiences to the table in order to inspire the participants, all in a very didactic way. Far from the typical lecture approach, the Entrepreneurship School works with a unique methodology. There are no professors or boring lectures, only exciting pioneers who can offer knowledge by sharing their experiences and giving the participants advice, which is not available in books.

What is clear is that the week from the 5th to the 9th of January will be full of activities for all students attending the school. «Every day, morning and afternoon, there are entrepreneurs talking to us, answering our questions», said an Alumnus from the 2014 Summer School in Brussels. «We learn lessons from their failure experiences. Now I know how to avoid the same mistakes when I open my company». 

During the week, the participants will also visit the Headquarters of Huawei in Shenzhen, one of the biggest and most innovative technology firms in the world, founded in 1987 by Ren Zhengfei. The multinational has expanded from reselling PBX products to becoming a leading global ICT solutions provider. 

The visit in Shenzhen will enable participants to catch a glimpse of Huawei’s work and first-hand experience on how the company innovates. Huawei has initiated a number of activities to boost ICT skills and entrepreneurship among young people, using its strategic position as a global ICT leader to reach out to participants and connect them with opportunities.

For instance, the “Telecom Seeds for the Future” programme is an umbrella initiative launched to bridge the gap between what is learned and what is needed in the industry. 

Overall, ThinkYoung is committed to make the 10th edition of the Entrepreneurship Winter School an opportunity to prospective entrepreneurs from all over the world, where six successful entrepreneurs will share their experiences and first-hand knowledge with the aim of making the attendees’ dreams and ideas become reality.

 

*Criseida Martínez Marco is Media Communications Assistant at ThinkYoung, the   first think tank concerned with young people. Founded in 2007 ThinkYoung has expanded to have offices in Brussels, Geneva and Hong Kong. Criseida Martínez Marco was born in Valencia, Spain, where she has studied Journalism and Audiovisual Communication at the University of Valencia. During her studies, she did an Erasmus year in Rome, Italy. In fact, she has developed a great interest in travel and the interaction of different cultures. With a huge passion for journalism and social media, Criseida loves her job. She has spent most of her time working for a number of radio programmes, publishing articles and tweeting away.