Back to SearchHope for Community Development’s entrepreneurship program empowers youth and adults to reach their full potential with support from City’s RISE Fund
In 2018, Francess Dunhann founded Hope for Community Development to respond to the needs of marginalized children, youth, women, seniors, newcomers and single-parent families in Kitchener. Dunhann, a newcomer to Canada herself, having arrived in 2009 after fleeing war-torn Liberia and spending 12 years in refugee camps in Ghana, has experienced many of the challenges facing newcomers firsthand.
“When I arrived in Canada, I struggled through many of the same challenges newcomers often experience – the absence of a supportive network of people, financial challenges, an unfamiliar culture and a lack of qualifications,” said Dunhann. “I wanted to find ways to help, and one of the ways to do that was to organize a community group focused on assisting community members in need.”
Since it was incorporated in 2020, Hope for Community Development has grown its scope and impact each year. The program has supported over 50 children, youth, women, seniors, newcomers, and families to recognize their abilities and realize their dreams through its entrepreneurship program, which provides aspiring entrepreneurs with educational workshops, training sessions, and mentorship opportunities aimed at building employable skills.
In an effort to expand the program to create more opportunities for employment for youth and adults in Kitchener, Hope for Community Development applied for and was awarded grant funding through the City’s Racialized and Indigenous Supports for Equity (RISE) Fund. This funding opportunity is for groups or organizations run by Black, Indigenous and other racialized community members providing support for community-led programs, initiatives, and events meant to decrease inequities and increase opportunities and well-being for racialized communities in Kitchener. The grant empowers and supports resident groups to create change in their own communities in ways that are beneficial and most meaningful to them.
“As a black, youth-led not-for-profit, our goal is to provide programs that create sustainable change,” said Dunhann. “We struggle through many of the challenges familiar to the Black community-led organizations, such as systemic barriers and a lack of funding to support and implement great projects. Opportunities like the RISE Fund enable organizations like ours to turn ideas into leading programs so we can continue to impact as many lives as possible.”
With support from the RISE Fund, Hope for Community Development’s expanded entrepreneurship program for racialized youth and adults aged 16-35 is expected to empower more than 50 young, aspiring entrepreneurs to unlock the possibilities of self-employment by providing access to information, leadership and literacy training, and other critical resources.
The program is offered monthly at the Chandler Drive Mowat Community Centre and is already having a significant impact on the community.
“The goal is to assist as many young aspiring entrepreneurs as possible to attend educational workshops, receive trainings and learn principles that could be implemented into their own businesses to enhance productivity and see them thrive,” said Dunhann. “With support from the City’s RISE Fund, we have been able to help both aspiring and established professionals enhance their capabilities, support their families, grow their businesses and professional initiatives, and further contribute to society.”
Inspired by Hope for Community Development’s Entrepreneurship Program? Applications for the City’s RISE Fund are now open and can be submitted online and in person at all City Community Centres. Paper copies are available at all City of Kitchener Community Centres upon request. The deadline to apply is Sept. 15, 2022.
For more information about the RISE Fund, including eligibility criteria and details on previous recipients, visit www.kitchener.ca/RISEFund
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