Where potential meets opportunity.

The Youth Entrepreneurship Network gives young people the knowledge, connections and confidence to explore entrepreneurship, technology, finance and leadership.

Join YEN Get involved

Learn. Build. Connect. Lead.

Start a businessBuild an appBecome a traderStudy financeBecome an engineerEnter a hackathonLaunch a nonprofitLead your communityFind a career you never knew existed
5Programs to explore
8Types of opportunities on the board
6Communities we're focused on
3Ways to get involved

Why we exist

There is talent everywhere. Opportunity and exposure are not spread out equally.

A student can have enormous potential and never meet quantitative finance, coding, investing, business competitions, hackathons, scholarships or leadership roles, simply because nobody around them introduced those things.

YEN exists to close that gap. We connect young people with the knowledge, people and opportunities they need to turn potential into action.

Start a business.

Learn about investing.

Get into technology.

Build your network.

Apply for internships.

Explore finance.

Good advice. But nobody shows you how to actually start.

Potential should not be determined by access.

Our vision

A future where every young person, whatever their background or access to resources, has the knowledge, confidence, connections and opportunities to explore their potential and build something meaningful.

Our mission

To equip youth with practical skills, meaningful connections and real opportunities across entrepreneurship, finance, technology and leadership.

Who YEN is for

Any young person who wants to explore entrepreneurship, business, technology, finance and leadership, with a particular focus on students who may have limited access to mentorship, networks, resources or career exposure.

  • Students with limited career exposure
  • First-generation aspiring entrepreneurs
  • Students without an established professional network
  • Youth looking for their first chance to lead

Communities we're focused on

  • Oakridge
  • Dawes
  • Taylor Massey
  • Thorncliffe
  • East York
  • Scarborough

We're not just teaching entrepreneurship. We're creating access.

A business plan is only the first step. Every YEN pathway follows the same four stages.

  1. 1

    Learn

    Develop practical knowledge.

  2. 2

    Build

    Turn knowledge into projects and ideas.

  3. 3

    Connect

    Meet mentors, peers and professionals.

  4. 4

    Lead

    Use what you've learned to create opportunities for yourself and others.

Five programs. One goal: open the door.

Start with whichever area sparks your interest. You can explore the rest as you go.

Entrepreneurship

Learn how ideas become real ventures.

  • Business ideas
  • Problem identification
  • Business models
  • Market research
  • Branding
  • Marketing
  • Sales
  • Pitching
  • Financial planning
  • Entrepreneurial mindset

Financial Literacy

Build practical financial knowledge for life and business.

  • Budgeting
  • Saving
  • Investing fundamentals
  • Understanding markets
  • Credit
  • Risk and return
  • Compound interest
  • Intro to trading

Technology & Innovation

Explore coding, AI, FinTech and emerging technologies.

The goal isn't to turn everyone into a programmer. It's to make technology feel accessible, not intimidating.

  • Coding
  • AI fundamentals
  • App development
  • Web development
  • Hackathons
  • FinTech
  • Quantitative finance

Mentorship & Career Exposure

Connect with people and opportunities beyond your immediate environment.

Meet

  • Entrepreneurs
  • Developers
  • Finance professionals
  • Engineers
  • Traders
  • University students
  • Founders
  • Researchers

Discover

  • Competitions
  • Scholarships
  • Internships
  • Hackathons
  • Conferences
  • Research
  • Networking events

Leadership & Community

Develop the confidence to lead and create positive change.

You don't have to wait until you're older to make an impact.

  • Leadership workshops
  • Community projects
  • Peer mentorship
  • Team projects
  • Youth-led initiatives
  • Social entrepreneurship
  • Community problem-solving

The opportunities board

Hackathons, scholarships, internships and more, collected in one place so nobody has to already know where to look.

Know an opportunity we should list? Send it to us

Built by YEN

Apps, businesses, research, community initiatives, investment projects, websites and social enterprises made by our members.

A network that grows with every member

Stories, events and mentors, all in one community.

Youth stories

Stories from members about what they started, built and learned will live here. Made something or changed your mind about what's possible? We'd like to share it.

Share your story

Events

Workshops, pitch nights, hackathons and mentor meetups will be posted here with dates and sign-up links. Join YEN and you'll hear about them first.

Get event updates

Mentors

We're inviting people who can share what they know:

  • Entrepreneurs
  • Developers
  • Finance professionals
  • Engineers
  • Traders
  • Founders
  • Researchers
  • University students
Become a mentor

Three ways in

Pick the door that fits you. You can always walk through another one later.

For students

Join programs, workshops and projects. Bring your curiosity. No experience needed.

Join as a student

For mentors

Share your knowledge and experience with someone who is just starting to explore.

Become a mentor

For partners

Help us create opportunities for youth through sponsorship, space, expertise or introductions.

Partner with us

Tell us about yourself

Fill this in and we'll reply with next steps. It takes about a minute.

Potential is everywhere. Let's open the door.

Join a network built to connect young people with knowledge, people and opportunities.

Join YEN