The Youth Justice Project which comprises of the Phoenix Project and VIP Project works with young people involved in the justice system. Man Cave Enterprise Sessions are designed to provide participants with introductory knowledge about how to set up their businesses.
On the 16th of July, Man Cave Enterprise Sessions commenced with a visit to De Montfort University. The first session took place at De Montfort University, and this was facilitated by Ross Harrison from Pathways. He provided insight into hidden jobs that participants could explore whilst also considering setting up their own businesses. Ross also provided participants with a guided tour around the De Montfort University Campus. During the tour, we visited the aeronautical engineering department where another young undergraduate and his lecturer, a former NASA scientist, demonstrated tests conducted using different surfaces.
This tour sparked interest in some of the participants as they actively engaged and asked questions. We discovered during this tour that some participants were interested in travel and tourism, whilst others were interested in exploring careers in youth work, and aeronautical engineering.
We’re always happy to welcome groups to our University campuses. There’s loads on offer locally and we love to showcase some of the state of the art facilities and it’s a great way to get an insight into student life.
Ross Harrison- Strategic Outreach Officer, Pathways
During the second session, participants congregated at Cocoa Amore to meet with Peter Amore, the CEO of Cocoa Amore. In his session, Peter shared his story as an entrepreneur. He spoke of the fact that although he did not enjoy formal education, he discovered that he was interested in “chocolate making” whilst working as a bartender. Peter explained that he proceeded to teach himself how to make chocolate using Youtube. Peter explained the importance of having a good network of people. He explained that his loan providers, accountant, and lawyer along with other professionals provide reciprocity by purchasing his products and making relevant referrals.
Peter spoke about some of the challenges he faced during his entrepreneurial journey. He described some of the lessons he learned when he set up his first business. For instance, when he started his first business, he paid thousands for his logo and branding. Whereas, when he relaunched his company, he paid less than £100 for his current logo for Cocoa Amore.
It was great to interact with the participants and share my experiences in the world of business. I encourage more business owners to invest in the future of young people to provide them with more positive outlets to learn new skills and express their latent potential.
Peter Gardner, CEO, Cocoa Amore
Peter also provided us with insight into his current project “Babao Cacao”. This is a refreshing drink which is made from the cacao fruit which is usually discarded as waste. Participants tried the drink and provided feedback on their thoughts about the drink. Some participants preferred the sparkling version whilst others preferred the still version. Peter showed participants his capitalization table and explained that this document is used to record the shares allocated to investors.
Peter also provided participants with a tour of his building, they viewed the office, enjoyed chocolate samples in the kitchen, and viewed various types of chocolates in the main store. The day ended with lunch and a game of mini-golf.
Participants asked various questions during the session, and they were provided with a safe space to interact with their peers, the business community, and just have safe fun.
We would like to extend our gratitude to Ross Harrison from Pathways and Peter Gardner from Cocoa Amore for taking the time to get involved in our Man Cave Enterprise Session.
It meant a lot to me that I was able to spend time with my friends and do something fun. Thank you for keeping me off the streets.
Participant
Get Involved
If you are a business in Leicester, Leicestershire or Rutland and would like to offer young people from our youth projects an opportunity to get involved in the world of work through a work placement or apprenticeship, please get in touch. We would love to hear from you.
Youth Justice Project Development Manager
Chikodi Lori
chikodi@leicestershirecares.co.uk
To read about our Power to Change approach, click on the link below:
For more information and insight into the Youth Justice Projects click the links below:
Violence Intervention/Phoenix Project Update Q4 2023/24 | Leicestershire Cares
Youth Justice Health and Wellbeing Day- Create Your Own Smoothie | Leicestershire Cares
https://www.leicestershirecares.co.uk/about-charity/news-events-/vip-personal-branding-workshop-v2/