Quebec Entrepreneurship Contest (Concours québécois en entrepreneuriat)
“Communications” Grant
2008 – 2009
Despite the risks, long hours, hard work and uncertainty that is part and parcel of running a business, the satisfaction of developing something from nothing, of working independently and growing an idea into a viable career is a remarkably satisfying activity. It’s also these sorts of entrepreneurs that are the bedrock of our economy.
This is the sort of inspiration that drives the Québec Entrepreneurship Contest, an effort that aims to foster entrepreneurial activity among young people within the province and showcase their success stories. The organization targets some key areas to communicate its message and reach its prime audience – notably, by creating projects that inspire entrepreneurial activities within schools and by helping emerging businesses by assisting those who are in the early stages of business development. The organization has an important partnership network of 400 local and regional contest representatives throughout the province, which helps students and young entrepreneurs make better informed choices on how best to develop their ideas.
The Québec Entrepreneurship Contest has succeeded in part because it recognizes that there are different areas of entrepreneurship to encourage, from students who are taught to embrace the qualities of the culture, to the organization ’s Valoris project, which aims to help particularly disadvantaged schools, to its Business Creation and Business Transition awards, which serve as encouragement for those entrepreneurs who are just starting out.
The Foundation has been instrumental in helping the organization reach a broader
audience, publicize its activities and create that culture of business activity. By giving people the skills, encouragement, leadership and wherewithal to embrace that entrepreneurial spirit at a time in life when more young people should be entertaining the idea, this organization’s influence will have a huge impact on the entrepreneurial culture of the province, not to mention Canadian prosperity for generations to come.