Inspiring communities through culturally responsive and locally adapted entrepreneurial training to ignite social innovation and small economies.

We have reached more than 43 communities in NWT, Yukon and Nunavut through our programs.

  • More than 85% of our program participants to date identify as Indigenous - Inuit, First Nations and Métis.

  • More than 300 participants from the northern Territories have taken our program; more than 70% have successfully graduated.

  • On average, 65% of our participants identify as female; 33% identify as male.

Many of our participants see our program as a stepping stone to help them set business, career or educational goals.  They join because they want to: 

  • Contribute towards, and feel connected to, their communities 

  • Increase foundational knowledge in how to start and run a business or community project

  • Increase leadership and organizational skills 

  • Develop skills and tools to find meaningful employment

The Inspire Program Structure

The Inspire  program  has three distinct levels which helps participants grow and apply their knowledge and ideas as they move through the program.

We call the levels Inspire, Innovate and Initiate to reflect each level’s main focus.

Inspire

Weeks 1-6
Participants learn about the foundations of entrepreneurship and leadership from an Indigenous perspective.  Throughout this level, participants learn about and engage with their community through a community impact project.

Innovate

Weeks 7-12
Participants go through the steps of building a project or business idea that results in a concrete model to test in the real world by building personal, community and business canvasses. 

Initiate

For graduates of the 12-week program
Alumni and graduates of the program bring their ideas and plans into reality with the guidance of mentors, financial resources and access to professional services.

Program Delivery

The Inspire Program takes different forms of delivery, either directly by Small Economy Works staff, or in partnership with educational institutions and community partners. The program is offered both virtually and in-person.

Each program includes a digital Learning Management System (e-course) and live workshops. The program is facilitated by instructors that are local to the Territory or community. Each program engages with local entrepreneurs who share their local knowledge and experience with the participants. 

The video is an example of an instructional video available on our digital learning platform.

  • In each week of the program, participants attend three interactive workshops that are content-based and skills-based 

  • Program Instructors and Coordinators guide participants through the course content and host check-ins and live weekly sessions

  • Local experts attend live sessions to talk about their journeys, offer advice and link curriculum to real-world experiences 

  • Cultural and wellness advisors connect with each cohort four times throughout the program to ensure participants are supported in relation to their general health and well-being. 

  • The opportunity to work on digital portfolio projects that enable participants to integrate the content based knowledge with the skill based knowledge in an applied way.

Program Features

Curriculum

The Inspire Program focuses on providing participants with the opportunity to develop skills that are key for the future. Innovation, creative thinking and a growth mindset are at the foundation of this program, which explores the concepts of entrepreneurial leadership and community development, and provides participants with the foundational skills needed to achieve their personal and professional goals.

  • Build confidence, self-awareness, and resilience to meet challenges in life and in community.

  • Cultivate connections to culture and heritage. Develop leadership skills that facilitate being a positive influence in community.

  • Engage with community members to investigate challenges, identify existing resources, and recognize opportunities for change.

  • Use empathy to understand and identify problems, develop creative solutions, validate ideas, design and test solutions, and make fact-based decisions.

  • Using storytelling techniques, develop brand identities to create messages that resonate with others.

  • Identify, evaluate, and connect with the key activities, partners and resources needed to sustain projects and businesses.

  • Identify channels and use techniques to create strong connections with people, from customers to future employers.

  • Develop financial literacy to accurately plan, track, report and sustain personal and project finances.

  • Develop professional skills - such as digital literacy, goal setting, and interpersonal communication - that can support the achievement of personal, employment or entrepreneurial goals.

Impact

An independent evaluation carried out by our partner Social Research and Demonstration Corporation found that graduates of our program had:

  • Increased sense of community and sense of being supported

  • Increased connection to culture

  • Improved mental health and well-being

  • Increased feelings of hope, optimism, motivation, and inspiration

  • Strengthened desire to give back to community

  • Improved levels of confidence, communication, leadership, and interpersonal skills

  • Increased readiness to pursue entrepreneurship

Learn more about the programs