Young Filipinos should aspire to be economically productive early in their life by learning and training on the basics of entrepreneurship, according to Go Negosyo Founder Joey Concepcion who is spearheading the holding of the Youthpreneur Program all over the country in partnership with the Department of Education (DepEd).

The program involves free mentorship for the youth, especially senior high school students, in entrepreneurial skills including starting a business and how to manage, sustain and expand it, as well as financial literacy, marketing, etc., with help and guidance from veteran entrepreneurs and successful businessmen.

Among the Youthpreneur mentors are Angkas app-based motorcycle taxi platform Founder and CEO George Royeca, social media content creator and influencer Yasmin Marie Asistido known as “Kween Yasmin,” Hiraya Filipina Founder and CEO Cleo Loque, and the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI), the biggest organization of businesses in the country.

Prior to the event, expected participants would be asked to select a specific sector they are interested in pursuing for business, and they would then be matched with veteran mentors.

It was initiated in 2023 by Concepcion, who formerly served as Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship, and is now Malacanang’s Private Sector Advisory Council (PSAC) Lead for Jobs and Medium, Small, and Micro Enterprises (MSMEs).

The first Youthpreneur Program was held at SM City Fairview in Quezon City on November 25, 2023, and was attended by hundreds of students from the 17 participating schools in the National Capital Region (NCR).

The fourth Youthpreneur Program was held last April 8 at the Rizal High School in Pasig City where more than 1,000 students attended and were mentored in direct selling, sales and marketing, and internet content creation.

The next Youthpreneur Program is slated on April 13 at a high school and an SM mall in the province of Bataan where at least 60 business mentors agreed to teach and inspire the attendees.

Concepcion remarked, “At our public entrepreneurship events, I notice that we are getting more young attendees who are keen on starting their own business.”

He noted that one field that opens big opportunity and potential to the youth today is social media.

Concepcion said that the youth could use social media to their advantage to earn money, as he cited many internet personalities and influencers who earn big with the help of social media as their platform.

He emphasized, “With this, you’re learning marketing, you’re learning how to position yourself. When you have a business and you are a social media content creator or influencer, malaking bagay, malaking savings na ‘yan. Ikaw mismo selling, ikaw mismo nagpro-promote.”

He said that in other countries, small and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs) are strong.

“The Philippines needs to replicate this experience from other countries. The only way to lift our economy is to teach our young kids to be enterprising, whether what I’m calling entrepreneurial is working for a company but being business-minded, or becoming a negosyante yourself,” he said.

Helping the Filipino youth become future-ready with an entrepreneur mindset is his modest contribution to drive the country’s progress, he underscored, saying that in teaching the young to be entrepreneurs, it helps them and the country as well.

Concepcion shared that the success of the Youthpreneur Program will help shape their future initiatives that are aimed at growing the next generation of Filipino entrepreneurs.

As the Youthpreneur Program is being held regularly in different campuses across the country, Concepcion disclosed that they are now exploring ways to institutionalize this training as part of the curriculum in the country’s schools.

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