CHAUVIN, Alta. – Ian Gordon and Ryan Bell live on farms far away from major urban centres.
For raising a good crop it doesn’t make much difference, but for teenagers finding a summer job it creates a few problems.
“A lot of kids are looking for jobs and there’s not many out there,” said Bell, a Grade 10 student at Chauvin.
But a job creation project last summer by Highway 14 Community Futures Development Corporation, in Viking, Alta., helped the two teens create their own internet business that has lasted long past the summer.
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The pair has helped more than 10 people in their community get started on the internet. They’ve just been hired by an Edgerton, Alta. businessperson to create a web page to show his replica Civil War working cannons.
While only three of the original 10 teens are still in business, community futures chief executive officer Karen Wright calls the program a success. One of the mandates of the community futures organization is youth job creation.
Ten teens with computer experience were asked to apply for the Young Entrepreneurs Summer Program. The students got three days of training on internet set up and web page design in Edmonton and Calgary.
Telus, the provincial telephone company, sponsored the project, gave the students internet access and provided money for advertising and promotion.
Business back home
Students then returned to their communities to set up internet businesses.
While Bell and Gordon had experience with computers, neither knew much about the internet before the project. Spending the last year learning about it has cemented Bell’s career decision.
“I’m going to go into computer science, I enjoy it so much.”
Gordon plans to take medicine at university, but thinks the experience dealing with people and knocking on businesses’ doors seeking clients has taught him more than most summer jobs.
Drumming up clients
“Canvassing businesses was a difficult experience,” said Gordon, a Grade 11 student.
“You need to be good with people you can’t be shy,” added Bell.
The teens charge $25 per hour and work as a team while setting up the internet customers, who are mostly farmers.
“It’s hard to talk to people if it’s just you,” said Gordon.
He said while their internet experience has been invaluable they’ve also learned patience. One client had a homemade computer that kept crashing and almost caused the boys to pull their hair out.
“That’s where I learned patience,” said Gordon.
Bell said his parents are proud of their business and frequently brag to friends about its success.
“They tell everyone they see and sometimes it results in a job.”
Because the telephone company is in the process of changing from AGT to Telus, the program won’t run this year, but Wright hopes to get it started again next year.
“It’s intended to stop the out-migration of young people. Hopefully they will come back to their home community and start up a business,” she said.
