The non-profit organization Go Negosyo is gearing up to unveil a series of initiatives dedicated to imparting vital entrepreneurial skills to Filipino teenagers. These initiatives include the Teenpreneur Summit, which aims to empower young minds with the tools and knowledge necessary for business success. Additionally, Go Negosyo is working with the Department of Education (DepEd) to seamlessly integrate entrepreneurship training into the school curriculum, fostering a culture of innovation and enterprise among the youth.

Go Negosyo founder Joey Concepcion shared that conditions are ideal for nurturing new entrepreneurs. “It would be the right time because social media and digital technology have brought down so many barriers to entrepreneurship,” he said, citing how the three M’s essential to successful entrepreneurship – namely money, markets and mentorship – are now easier to access thanks to technology.

Concepcion shared that Go Negosyo will begin entrepreneurship programs specifically directed at high school students, starting with the Youthpreneur event this November 25, 2023. At Youthpreneur, the students will learn from seasoned businessmen and veteran entrepreneurs through a day of inspirational talks and actual entrepreneur mentorship.

It is also pursuing the incorporation of entrepreneurship training into the school curriculum in primary education, following a meeting last October with Vice President and DepEd Secretary Sara Duterte. Among the ways in which this can be done is by bringing veteran entrepreneurs to directly mentor the students, and another is letting the students observe actual mentoring of active and aspiring entrepreneurs through Go Negosyo’s mall-based free entrepreneurship mentoring events which are conducted all over the country.

Another avenue is through the help of big-brother companies who will lend their resources in giving students real-life training in the private sector, especially in the areas of agriculture and fisheries. The program would be in line with Go Negosyo’s program to promote an entrepreneurial mindset among the nation’s farmers.

“Our idea is if we introduce entrepreneurship to young people, there would be a way for them to find an alternative path to success,” said Concepcion. “Not all families have the resources to support children through the completion of the entire curriculum,” he said. “We could help young people find their path, focus on it, and maybe one day the students can turn it into a business,” he said, adding that there are many successful entrepreneurs who succeeded even without the benefit of higher education.