By The Social Eyes Team
Sometimes, it takes only one day to transform a young student into a little entrepreneur. At l’école internationale Les Mélèzes in Joliette, Étienne Sylvestre, a grade 5 teacher, is sure of one thing: the entrepreneurial spirit doesn’t wait until adulthood to emerge.
Étienne gets to see his budding entrepreneurs blossom in an annual program called PME : Petits et Mervielleux Entrepreneurs (small and marvelous entrepreneurs), which culminates in La Grande journée des petits entrepreneurs (the big day of little entrepreneurs). It’s a formative, real-world, unforgettable experience.
“In our program,” Sylvestre explains, “there are six major research modules, including one on entrepreneurship. In the PME module, we want to open our student up to the world, and pass on the desire to dare.”
He continues: “It’s frustrating to say to a young person: ‘I don’t want you to be paid.’ But these kids are already here. They work, they create, they strive. It’s empowering, and it provides structure.” So maybe prohibiting their entrepreneurialism puts the brakes on a proactive youth approach in the name of a generalized protection . According to the current Quebec laws, no one can be paid for a job until they reach the age of 14, with very limited exceptions.
For Étienne Sylvestre, there is a growing gap between a motivated, curious, creative youth… and a legal framework that is too rigid. “We see our youths wanting to become engaged in entrepreneurship, yet we forbid them the right to earn money. And all the while, we complain about the time they spend in front of the screen, of their dropping out of school, and their lack of autonomy.”
He believes that it’s about time we created a “gray zone” between abusive labor practices and supervised experimentation. “We must be more subtle in the way that we create rules for youth labor. No question of a pre-teen going door-to-door anywhere and everywhere. But with a mentor, clear guidelines and educational support, it is possible to foster entrepreneurilism in youth.” We have to structure, make safe, guide, but not prevent, he argues.
Appeal to Teachers and to Government
Sylvestre has a message for teachers: “I know that a lot of them are exhausted, and that there are programs and curricula to respect. But press on! Dare to experience an entrepreneurial project with your students. Find what motivates them, celebrate their efforts, leave the walls of the school behind for once. It’s one of the most beautiful experiences your class can have.”
As for government, Sylvestre wants regulators to take these youthful impulses seriously: “These are the entrepreneurs of tomorrow. Why wait until they are 18 to accompany them down this road? Offer sponsorship for youth projects, incubation programs in primary schools. Make it possible.”
To those who hesitate, very young or young, Sylvestre concludes with simple advice: “Start small. Go see a neighbor, an aunt, and ask them what they think of your product. Even if it doesn’t work out, you will learn something. There are no limits. We do what we can with what we have.”
A powerful message for a generation that isn’t waiting for adulthood to dream, to take the initiative, and to grow.
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