
November 2024 - April 2025
An inaugural program to empower educators in Jeremie and Cap-Haitien to teach university students the skills to develop sustainable and environmentally conscious businesses
ABOUT THE PROGRAM
The Youth Entrepreneurs Sustainability Initiative of Haiti (YESIH) is a two-part program that will engage 10 university educators and 100 university students across communities in Jeremie and Cap-Haitien. Both portions of the program aim to enable communities to create sustainable, environmentally-conscious businesses.
If you are a university educator based in Cap-Haitien or Jeremie, apply to the Train-the-Trainers component of the Youth Entrepreneurs Sustainability Initiative of Haiti, a free-of-charge educational initiative where Haitian educators and students will meet with expert mentors and facilitators to learn essential skills in starting their own green-conscious businesses while developing their leadership and professional skills. Educators who go through the training will learn how to teach environmental entrepreneurship at their own institution, which will serve as the two Sustainability Entrepreneurship Intensive for up to 100 students from Jeremie and Cap-Haitien.
The Youth Entrepreneurs Sustainability Initiative of Haiti is supported by the U.S. Embassy Port-Au-Prince of the U.S. Department of State.
Train-the-Trainers (Hybrid)
Facilitated by Nick Chagin of USA-based The Startup Bug, and the Cap-Haitien-based Center for Creative Technology and Entrepreneurship by Frantz One and Christopher Massenat
November 30- December 1, 2024
Ten university educators, including five from Cap-Haitien-based universities and five from Jeremie-based universities, will gather together to learn how to teach Sustainability Entrepreneurship
- Saturday, November 30 (Time TBA): Orientation, welcome, introduction to entrepreneurship essentials, the Sustainable Business Model Canvas, and key sustainability principles
- Sunday, December 1 (Time TBA): Further developing a business model, pitching, and community stakeholder engagement
Sustainability Entrepreneurship Intensive (In-Person)
with Nick Chagin, The Startup Bug
Program #1 @ Cap-Haitien: January 27-29, 2025
Program #2 @ Jeremie: February 21-23, 2025
This portion of YESIH is open to university students from Cap-Haitien and Jeremie where students will work with a team to actually to start a business during this immersive 3-day experience. Students will create a business model by talking to customers, creating a prototype, working with local mentors and entrepreneurs, and designing a pitch.
The program ends on Friday with an official pitch that you will present in front of a panel of local entrepreneurs and investors.
- Day 1 (1000 - 1700): Learn about brainstorming, pitch ideas, form teams, create your first business model
- Day 2 (1000 - 1700): Learn about finding your market through customer research, creating a prototype of your idea, working with local mentors, and further developing your business idea
- Day 3 (1000 - 1700): Incorporate principles of sustainability and environmentalism into your business model and spend the rest of the day preparing your final pitch with your team. Finish the program strong with your final pitch followed by networking.
REGISTRATION FOR TRAIN-THE-TRAINERS
If you are a university educator from Jeremie or Cap-Haitien-based universities, please submit your application by Friday, November 8 at 19:00 GMT
MEET THE TEACHERS
FRANTZ ONE
Founder, Center for Creative Technology and Entrepreneurship
Cap-Haitien, Haiti
Frantz One is an ecosystem builder and a former primary rural school teacher. He began exploring international leadership opportunities as a Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative participant in 2021. He placed in the Best Projects 2022 category of the Adult Entrepreneurship Competition organized by Entrepreneurship Campus with his project titled “Empowering Unemployed Youth & Women in Haiti“ In 2022, Frantz was selected by Bringing The Gap Venture to be a Working Group Leader and a YOUNGA Youth Delegate in the Future of Education and Work.
Frantz is certified as a Sustainability Leader with United Global People (UGP) and also Selected by Swiss Agency For Development and Cooperation SDC to be a 1 Million Youth Actions Challenge (1MYAC) Ambassador to Implement Concrete actions for a more sustainable future, launch and maintain initiatives that tackle Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) such as Clean Water and Sanitation, Responsible Consumption and Production, Climate Action and Life on Land.
CHRISTOPHER MASSÉNAT
President, OPAH
Jeremie, Haiti
Christopher is a dedicated advocate for climate change and an innovative entrepreneur. He is the Founder and CEO of Montcocoa Chocolate, as well as the President of OPAH (Organization of Plantation and Human Assistance). With a background in business management, he spent four years studying the field. Additionally, he proudly serves as a board member in DLoco, an organization committed to providing access to clean water to communities in Haiti.
As a leader, Christopher is passionate about fostering sustainable development and ensuring equitable education for communities. Recognized for his leadership qualities, he was selected as a YLAl alumnus in 2023 and appointed as a YLAl Alumni City Mentor in 2024 to guide fellows. He has also been chosen as a delegate for the 2024 Harvard Conference and previously represented YABT and OEA as a delegate in 2022.
NICK CHAGIN
Founder + Lead Facilitator, The Startup Bug
Austin, Texas USA
Nick is an American entrepreneurship, innovation and leadership educator. He has worked with 1500+ aspiring entrepreneurs through various Department of State U.S. Embassy initiatives, 20 universities, and several high schools spanning 12 different countries.
His infectious facilitation style has been best showcased in a video series for the Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative (YLAI) network, a multi-national entrepreneurship exchange launched under the Obama administration in 2015.
He strives to equip innovators with the tools, mentors, and confidence to explore their entrepreneurial potential. Aside with The Startup Bug, Nick currently works to do this with TiE Young Entrepreneurs, a global program aimed at fostering entrepreneurial skillsets in high school students and with Productable, a seed-stage startup that develops software for organizations like the United States Air Force to help them enable intrapreneurs to pilot and scale internal innovations.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
I'm an educator! Why should I sign up for the Train-the-Trainers portion of the Youth Entrepreneurs Sustainability Initiative of Haiti (YESIH)?
Is this program free-of-charge?
What language is the program taught in?
How about food and beverages? Do I need to bring my own?
What should I bring with me?
Where is the program?
This is a hybrid program. What does that mean?
Who are the program sponsors?
HAVE QUESTIONS?
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The Youth Entrepreneurship and Sustainability Initiative of Haiti was funded, in part, by a grant from the United States Department of State. The opinions, findings, and conclusions stated herein are those of the author[s] and do not necessarily reflect those of the United States Department of State.