Generation Transformation: Exploring youth perspectives on social entrepreneurship as a path to transformative change
Date
2016-04-28
Authors
Pettifer, Kylie
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Abstract
Globally, we have the most educated generation of young people in history with a desire to live prosperous lives in safe and socially just countries. Yet, unemployment rates among youth remain high, not only reinforcing the cycle of poverty, but in many cases leading to civil unrest. At the same time, humanity is facing one of its largest challenges in history: climate change and the socio-environmental threat of a business-as-usual economic model. Could a solution be to address these issues in tandem? My research aims to explore this question in the Canadian context. How can we transform our private sector to promote more resilient socio-ecological systems? Is there a way to reduce Canada’s high un-and under-employment of youth in the process? I will address these questions by looking at the role of youth as change agents in the private sector. Specifically I will look at the opportunities, barriers and motivations of youth in Canada to engaging in intra- and entrepreneurship efforts for social and environmental change by interviewing young people age 18-30 that have been able to pursue profitable change endeavors such as starting a social enterprise at that age in the last 10 years, surveying youth on university campuses about their motivations and barriers towards these types of private sector roles and examining alternative business models to better understand how we can support youth that want to engage in social enterprise and foster innovation for a greener, more resilient economy.
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youth unemployment rates, youth as change agents, interview study, climate change in Canada, alternative busines models, resilient economy