18 May Building Confidence, Creativity and Entrepreneurial Thinking Among South Trinidad Youth
Atlantic Youth Entrepreneurship Programme 2025/2026 Concludes Fifth Year of Impact
As students stepped onto the stage in Point Fortin for the Atlantic Youth Entrepreneurship Programme (AYEP) Final Pitch and Awards Ceremony, the atmosphere in the room reflected more than just competition. There were nerves, excitement, moments of uncertainty, and most importantly, determination.
For many students, this was their first time presenting a business idea publicly. For some, it was their first experience speaking confidently before a panel of judges and an audience. Yet one after another, students stood before the room to explain problems they identified within their communities and the solutions they believed could make a difference.
“Today we hosted the Atlantic Youth Entrepreneurship Programme for 2025. This is our fifth year running the cohort cycle,” reflected Shedron Collins, CEO of Youth Business Trinidad and Tobago (YBTT). “We started in the midst of COVID where everything was online then. And it’s great to see how the programme evolved now so that we have the live pitches. We could hear the nerves in their voices, but we also hear the determination in their voices as well.”
The AYEP initiative, implemented by Youth Business Trinidad and Tobago (YBTT) with the support of Atlantic, continues to provide secondary school students across the Point Fortin region with practical exposure to entrepreneurship, innovation, and problem solving. Originally developed to cultivate entrepreneurial awareness and confidence among young people, the programme has steadily evolved into a platform that encourages students to think critically about opportunities, leadership, and their future role within their communities.
A Programme Designed to Move Beyond Theory
The programme focused on five participating secondary schools:
- Cedros Secondary School
- Holy Name Convent Point Fortin
- Point Fortin East Secondary School
- Point Fortin West Secondary School
- Vessigny Government Secondary School
The programme followed a structured three-phase approach:
- SchoolSPARK entrepreneurship outreach sessions
- Entrepreneurship training and idea development
- Pitch competition and live Q&A evaluation
The overall objective was not simply to teach business concepts, but to help students strengthen creativity, communication, confidence, and entrepreneurial thinking through practical activities and real-world application.
During the SchoolSPARK outreach sessions, students engaged directly with entrepreneurs from the YBTT network, including alumni entrepreneurs, local business owners, and entrepreneurs connected to the Atlantic LEND Programme. These sessions introduced students to the realities of entrepreneurship and allowed them to hear firsthand stories about resilience, innovation, and starting with limited resources.
A total of 211 students participated in the SchoolSPARK outreach sessions during the 2025/2026 cycle, exceeding the programme’s original outreach target.
From Ideas to Action
Following the outreach phase, students moved into entrepreneurship training sessions focused on idea generation, problem-solving, business modelling, and pitching.
This year’s cohort saw particularly strong engagement levels, with 103 students participating in the entrepreneurial training sessions, representing a 64% increase from the previous programme cycle.
Throughout the programme, students explored:
- Entrepreneurial thinking and mindset
- Creativity and innovation
- Problem identification through empathy
- Business model development
- Pitch preparation and delivery
- Communication and presentation skills
The training process was intentionally designed to encourage participation, collaboration, and confidence building. Students were challenged not only to develop ideas, but also to think critically about how those ideas could realistically address community needs.
One of the strongest indicators of student engagement came through the Pitch Competition process. A total of 40 students participated through video pitch submissions, representing a 48% increase from the previous programme cycle.
The Final Pitch and Awards Ceremony
The programme culminated with the Live Pitch and Q&A Event hosted on February 25, 2026 at the Point Fortin Town Hall Auditorium, with the support of the Point Fortin Borough Corporation. Fifteen students advanced to the final round after being selected from the video pitch evaluation process.
Students presented their ideas before a judging panel consisting of:
- Dareem Jeffery, YBTT Alumnus and Founder of EcoWash
- Ormega Zepharine, Business Development Officer, LEND Programme
Judges evaluated students based on:
- Understanding of the business model
- Communication and responsiveness
- Feasibility and practicality of the idea
- Clarity of implementation and next steps
Despite initial nervousness, students demonstrated remarkable creativity, confidence, and resilience throughout the event.
Dareem Jeffery shared:
“I was so impressed with the level of innovation and ideas that came forward as the students pitched. I am incredibly encouraged that great ideas are going to come out of these type of environments and these type of competitions.”
The following students were recognized as the Top Three Winners:
1st Place – Treasure Salandy
Holy Name Convent Point Fortin
2nd Place- Naomi Goodridge
Cedros Secondary School
3rd Place- Shivaan Seepersad, Charleen Williams and Akeelah Eddy
Point Fortin East Secondary School
Point Fortin West Secondary School was also awarded the School Prize for accumulating the highest overall points from pitch submissions throughout the programme cycle.
More Than a Competition
While the programme includes a pitch competition element, many of the strongest outcomes extend far beyond awards and rankings.
Teachers across participating schools consistently highlighted improvements in confidence, communication skills, creativity, and critical thinking among students.
Ms. Roanne Rampaul reflected:
“Every year, the Atlantic Youth Entrepreneurship Programme leaves an indelible mark on our students encouraging them to think critically and become problem solvers, innovators and budding entrepreneurs while at the same time developing their communication skills.”
Miss Dianna Ramnath of Point Fortin West Secondary School added:
“So grateful for this opportunity. It helps build the entrepreneurial spirit within the Point Fortin Community. The students are always quite excited to get started. They love competing. They love the prizes.”
Students themselves also described the programme as transformational.
Tishawn Tracey shared:
“I enjoyed the experience. It helped me to encourage myself and others to participate no matter how shy you are.”
Naomi Goodridge reflected:
“I’m thankful and grateful for this opportunity that I had.”
For many students, the programme represented their first opportunity to publicly express an idea, receive mentorship, and envision entrepreneurship as a realistic pathway for their future.
Building Long-Term Impact Through Entrepreneurship
What makes AYEP particularly significant is not only the impact of a single cohort, but the consistency of its influence over time.
Over the past five years, Atlantic’s continued support has helped YBTT create a sustained entrepreneurship platform for secondary school students in South Trinidad.
Across four completed cohorts, the programme has collectively reached:
This investment has contributed to the development of entrepreneurial confidence, communication skills, leadership capacity, and problem-solving among hundreds of young people across the region.
Past participants continue to demonstrate the programme’s lasting influence.
These reflections reinforce the programme’s broader purpose: helping students develop confidence, leadership, communication skills, and entrepreneurial thinking that continue influencing their educational and personal journeys long after the programme concludes.
Looking Ahead
As economies and industries continue to evolve, programmes like AYEP play an important role in helping young people build adaptability, confidence, and problem-solving skills needed for the future world of work.
YBTT remains committed to strengthening entrepreneurial pathways for young people across Trinidad and Tobago and creating opportunities where students can transform ideas into action.
“We want to thank everyone who was part of the programme,” said Shedron Collins. “We’re also making sure that we thank the students, because you can’t do anything without the students who participated within the programme, and most importantly Atlantic for their continued support within this programme.”
YBTT extends sincere appreciation to Atlantic for five years of partnership and investment into youth entrepreneurship development within South Trinidad. Through this continued collaboration, hundreds of students have been exposed to entrepreneurship, innovation, mentorship, and opportunities that encourage them to think bigger about their futures and the possibilities within their communities.