Why I Support Young Entrepreneurs

Follow these young people. Back them. Give them all your support. They are going to inherit this earth and all we leave for them.
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In light of the global youth unemployment crisis, what the world really needs is to put its best foot forward and bring up the next generation in a positive and inspiring way.

Forget about just sitting in a classroom and funneling young people into those humdrum everyday jobs - our youth have the power and the drive to do exceptional things and we should be encouraging them to follow their dreams, not to just follow their elders.

In the UK, youth unemployment is high and the same is mirrored in other European states, in fact, cities around the world.

This is why I support youth entrepreneurship. Even if a start-up business venture doesn't lead to a full time job, the skills gained in venturing into enterprise are invaluable and certainly, I believe, contribute to a young person's employability skills.

That's why I am so pleased to introduce you to Walid Ijassi, a talented 19-year-old social entrepreneur who is the winner of the 2016 #AdamStart Entrepreneurship Challenge. This year I launched the competition to give young businesspeople a break, some grassroots support and to share my lessons learned. I've done this for nearly four years now and love it. Being able to give back is so important; to create that ripple effect of entrepreneurship and social value creation along the way.

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Find out more about Walid and his venture through my website and social media links. I'd also like to congratulate runner up Arinze Obiezue who was our Highly Commended Runner Up. A panel comprising of myself and a number of business experts and young people met at Plum + Spilt Milk, a fabulous restaurant and bar in Central London, to deliberate on our decision.

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Whilst I'm writing, it's always important to express gratitude to your team. Meet Tevin Shepherd, a 23-year-old originally from Saint Lucia who is studying international development in Norwich at the moment. He is a Chevening Scholar, Queen's Young Leader and exceptional young person who we have the pleasure of working with.

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Follow these young people. Back them. Give them all your support. They are going to inherit this earth and all we leave for them.