The latest labor force survey revealed a high unemployment rate among youth ages 14 to 24, at 20.4% in April 2014, nearly double the national average of 11.1%. This means that unless graduates have the drive and skills to create their own jobs, they could remain unemployed and unproductive for an extended period of time. However, one educator we spoke with today told us that a summer camp which she has had the opportunity to participate in is providing young people with realistic alternatives to achieving financial success. That summer camp will eventually lead to the kind of curriculum reform that will see the training expanded at both the elementary and secondary school levels.

“While we don’t have, as a country, the amount of jobs, at least if they can come up with their own business concept, their own small jobs, it gives that opportunity for them to have something to do,” said Stephanie Middleton, an educator at Gwen Lizarraga High School.

Middleton has been working alongside facilitators for the past three days, teaching and assisting with classroom management, as part of the Financial Literacy and Entrepreneurship Summer Camp being held this week and next week by the Ministry of Education with sponsorship from Pricewaterhouse Coopers and Peacework. The initiative is called Project Belize, and over 20 schools from the Belize District are participating.

On Wednesday afternoon, the students who have been participating in the 3-day camp held their open house, where they showcased their project ideas. One such idea is T&K Fashion House, created by Tylea Jones, 12, and Jaslyn Brown, 17, both students of Gwen Lizarraga High School. Their mentor is their teacher, Ms. Bailey.

Some students who have participated in the program, which has been ongoing for several years, have actually put their ideas into effect.

Ian Mariano, Sr., a teacher at Excelsior High School, said that his daughter, Jaweah Mariano, 9, is a product of Project Belize. Two years ago, Jaweah participated in the camp held at St. Joseph School, and she was inspired to start a cold-cup business. Her dad said that it has taught her the value of saving and working for herself. This summer, Jaweah borrowed $15 from her dad to restart her cold-cup business and she has already repaid him. Jaweah manages what she earns from her business.

Mariano said that it was his daughter who, in fact, sparked his interest in the program, and this year, he was among the educators assisting with the camp at Gwen Lizarraga High School. He believes that if only one participant achieves success with putting his or her idea into effect, then the effort would have all been worth it.

Although the students at the summer camp had to come up with practical project ideas, they were also mentored on a range of topics. Middleton said that they learned about money management and budgeting, opening a small business, public speaking and interviews, resumes, and how to sell themselves — crafting their business pitch. Her group started out with 21 and grew to 24, mostly from Gwen Lizarraga High School.

“What the project is trying to do is to foster in our young people the whole concept of saving, budgeting and then…putting whatever monies they have saved into opening their own business,” Middleton explained. She said that this would, in turn, lead to more people owning more businesses and more money staying in Belize.

We asked Middleton, though, how realistic it is to expect these business ideas to thrive in the current economic climate, with the country seeing marginal GDP growth in the first quarter of 2014.

“Yes! Financially, we are taking a licking but if these students realize that if they save just a little, by the time you get to a certain point you can start a realistic business,” she asserted.

Middleton told us that the students have tried to come up with concepts for using resources they already have, such as the exchange of games with their peers as a business venture.

A group conceived the 5-star salon, while another conceived a nail salon — an idea which Middleton said would expand on a home venture already being undertaken by a student.

Sharry Mendez, 15, who will enter Form 3A1 at Gwen Lizarraga High School in September, dreams of working with disabled children, and her interest in the wellbeing of the people around her inspired her project idea — Super Gym. She urges her peers to not sell themselves short if they are worth a million. According to Mariano, very early in the camp, one participant shared his dream of becoming a millionaire.

Project Belize is in its 7th year. Peacework says on its Facebook page that, “Since 2008, alongside our partners Belize Ministry of Education and PricewaterhouseCoopers, we’ve provided financial literacy and entrepreneurship training to 5,000 students and 250 educators in Belize City, Belize.”

Heather Burke, Director of Corporation and Social Innovation for Peacework, explained to our newspaper that the knowledge being transferred during the training will form a permanent part of the primary school and high school curriculums.

Burke informed us that Consuelo Godfrey, the Financial Literacy and Entrepreneurship Leader for the Ministry of Education, has been working on a strategy and action plan to roll out the program nationwide. She said that in May 2014, they brought together administrators and leaders in education from all six districts, including personnel from the ITVETs and the Adult Continuing Education program, for specialized training.

Jay Seliber, partner of Pricewaterhouse Coopers, told Amandala that 400 persons from their establishment are participating in the summer camps in Belize City — 200 this week and another 200 next week. Seliber said that their instructors, who number 40 persons, helped to develop the materials for the training.