By the Social Eyes Team
Each year, La grande journée des petits entrepreneurs (The big day of little entrepreneurs) sweeps Quebec. More than a simple event, it’s a celebration of the creativity and the audacity of children and teenagers who dare to take their first steps in the business world.
In 2025, the Centre d’entrepreneuriat nordique (CEN) in Chibougamau reaffirms its role as a willing partner by supporting this day, mobilizing its expertise, and encouraging the next generation of young entrepreneurs.
Under the direction of Luc-Emmanuel Konan, the CEN establishes itself as a key player in stimulating the spirit of initiative in northern Quebec. Its mission: to plan and coordinate programs, accompany the entrepreneurs, and above all, pass on enthusiasm for entrepreneurship to the very young.
“Our mission isn’t simply to outfit adult entrepreneurs, but also to raise awareness among the youngest generation to go into business with confidence,” Konan says.
One of the CEN’s strengths is in its capacity to adapt its initiatives for young people. By participating in the Défi OSEntreprendre (the dare to be an entrepreneur challenge), a contest that lets children and teens present their own ideas, the team at the CEN acts as both jury and mentor.
Young Go-Getters
Youth entrepreneurship, far from being a fantasy world, requires structure and accompaniment. It teaches youths to go from ideas to action, to understand the basis of management, to collaborate, and to present ideas with confidence.
Before the big day, CEN teams offer made-to-measure guidance: coaching sessions, practical advice, work on self-confidence. The goal: that each participant presents their ideas with pride.
“What they learn goes way past the event: creativity, autonomy, time management, communication… these are skills they’ll have their whole lives,” insists Luc-Emmanuel Konan.
This philosophy can be found in another famous Quebec institution: l’École d’Entrepreneurship de Beauce (EEB), in Saint-Georges. If the CEN aims at helping the north’s young, emerging entrepreneurs, since 2010 the EEB has been training seasoned leaders who strive to excel both personally and professionally.
In both cases, the human being is at the heart of their entrepreneurial projects. Whereas the Beauce emphasizes peer-to-peer communication — entrepreneurs learning from each other — the CEN relies on the curiosity and imagination of youth to build solid foundations. Two approaches, the same spirit: learning by doing, dreaming by constructing.
This parallel is rich in meaning. It shows that Quebec entrepreneurship unfolds on a continuum, from the first lemonade stand to the thriving business. Behind every great entrepreneur, there is often a child who was allowed to dare.
The CEN feeds big ambitions for the years to come: reinforcing partnerships with local businesses, more financing for school projects, and making La grande journée des petits entrepreneurs an unmissable event in the North.
The addition of a digital dimension – online training capsules, long distance mentoring, video testimony – allows more youths to participate, even in the most isolated regions.
“We want every youth to have access to this formative experience. Entrepreneurship shouldn’t be a privilege, but a possibility,” argues Konan.
Whether it be in the Beauce or in the north, the message is the same: entrepreneurship is first and foremost a state of mind, a way to learn to create, to fail and then try again.
Definitive Role
The CEN plays a definitive role in this provincial network. It links generations, territories and ambitions. After all, doesn’t the future of Quebec’s economy rest in the dreams of its very youngest citizens?
Anchored in the reality of Quebec’s northern regions, the CEN distinguishes itself by its inclusive, territorial approach. Its guiding principle: entrepreneurship adapted to its milieu. Here, innovation rhymes with accessibility. Whether it’s in Kuujjuaq, Chibougamau or Matagami, every project finds its place.
The CEN’s programs rely on close support: interactive workshops, individualized mentoring, regional pitch competitions, and digital tools to combat isolation. The CEN aims to develop confidence and entrepreneurial skills, while valuing local knowledge and northern creativity.
The goal is clear: give young, emerging entrepreneurs the means to create where they are by building a durable and locally-rooted entrepreneurial business.
École d’entrepreneurship de Beauce (EEB)
In Saint-Georges, the EEB uses a model unique in Quebec and elsewhere. Its philosophy rests on one simple but powerful principle: entrepreneurs learn best from other entrepreneurs.
The main program offers an immersive approach in which seasoned participants share their successes, their failures and their knowhow with the next generation. They enjoy a transformative experience, centred on the humanistic, on leadership, and on coherence between professional and personal lives.
Far from being a theoretical school, the EEB emphasizes the sharing of experiences, collective reflection, and actions taken. Its approach emphasizes knowledge transfer, mutual support, and personal growth. These are values which link it to the CEN, but on a different scale.
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