The Mersey Youth Support Trust (MYST) established in 2011, is looking for funders and donations to build a hub for young entrepreneurs from disadvantaged backgrounds, as featured on BBC Radio Merseyside in January. Their mission is to empower young people who face particular barriers to start and build their businesses, by providing bespoke business advice, affordable workspaces, funding opportunities, contacts and networking.
The new hub will follow the success of the first one, which comprises 27 offices that can be let out to any young entrepreneurs that need their own workshop/office space, for a low monthly fee, receiving timely, relevant and on-site advice supported by the Centre Manager Kevin Lovelady, and other external agencies.
The charity has helped many entrepreneurs create their businesses from scratch, grow, and build their networks. “It is a fantastic environment full of prospering businesses that interact with ideas to help each other grow. I am very confident that I am in the best circle of support and would strongly recommend MYST to anyone looking to start a business.”, says Dermot Duffy, founder of Biomagnetic Pair Therapy UK, one of more than 225 businesses that have been supported by the charity, providing over 480 jobs in the region.
MYST helps young people take responsibility for their own future by exploring the possibility of self-employment, aiming to build a community environment where creative, like-minded people empower each other during the business cycle. “We want entrepreneurs to break down the barriers of mainstream employment and find a friendly ear for good and bad times”, says Lovelady.
The Mersey Youth Support Trust have recently been shortlisted for the Steve Morgan Foundation Awards in the Best Entrepreneurial Charity or Social Enterprise (below £250k), and, if they win, the prize money will go towards refurbishing the new centre. They’re also now reaching out to potential funders and donors to make the new hub possible, helping the Liverpool City Region not only develop its entrepreneurial community but also create new job opportunities for the young workers in the region.
To donate please visit https://mymyst.co.uk/donate.
To learn more about MYST and the initiative, sign up at https://mymyst.co.uk/newsletter-signup/.
