Young Entrepreneurs Workshop Series
November 7 to December 5, 2026 | Saturdays from 1 to 3 p.m. | Queensville Library Branch
Students in Grades 9 to 12 can explore entrepreneurship and turn an idea into a real business concept through this free five-part, hands-on series. No business idea is required to participate.
Through workshops, Makerspace access and mentorship from local entrepreneurs, participants will learn how to understand customers, develop and test a product or service, set pricing and build a sales strategy.
The series concludes with a Young Entrepreneurs Trade Show on December 5, where participants can showcase their work, connect with the community and receive a program completion certificate.
Weekly Workshop Breakdown
November 7 | Build Your Business Idea
Start by exploring who your customer is and what they need. Participants will develop a customer persona, research existing solutions and identify opportunities to create something different or better. They'll brainstorm potential products or services, learn the basics of prototyping and receive a refresher on using the EGPL Makerspace.
After the session, participants will continue building their prototype in preparation for meeting with mentors.
November 14 | Meet the Mentors + Refine Your Idea
Get feedback directly from local entrepreneurs through one-on-one mentoring. Participants will use that advice to strengthen their idea and learn how to develop a unique value proposition, identify key costs, set a price and create a plan for gathering feedback from potential customers.
November 21 | Find Your First Customers
It's time to think about getting your business into the hands of customers. This session focuses on sales strategy and finding your first 10 customers, along with identifying the resources needed to move the business forward.
Participants will also set SMART goals and begin preparing for the final trade show.
November 28 | Build, Refine + Get Ready to Launch
A dedicated working session gives participants time to put everything they've learned into action. They'll continue developing their business, product, materials or trade show presentation with access to informal mentoring and guidance as needed.
The session will also cover what to expect at the following week's showcase.
December 5 | Young Entrepreneurs Trade Show
It's showcase day! Participants will set up their own booth or table and introduce their businesses to guests at the Young Entrepreneurs Trade Show.
The event celebrates what participants have accomplished throughout the program and gives them practical experience presenting and talking about their business. The series concludes with completion certificates and information about potential next steps in entrepreneurship.
Who is the Program For
This series is for students in Grades 9 to 12 who are curious about entrepreneurship or want to explore a business idea. No idea or previous experience is required, just a willingness to be creative, try new things and receive feedback.
What You'll Walk Away With
- A more developed business idea
- A better understanding of their customers
- Hands-on experience developing and testing a product or service
- Feedback and advice from local entrepreneurs and mentors
- A basic sales and customer acquisition strategy
- Experience showcasing and presenting their business
- A certificate of completion from Y2 Entrepreneurship Labs, EGPL, Advantage EG and YSpace at York University
Meet the Facilitator
Lucas Chang | Y2 Entrepreneurship Labs
Lucas is the founder and program director of Y2 Entrepreneurship Labs, which helps students from grades 6-12 to develop their problem-solving skills and entrepreneurial mindset in a variety of industry contexts.
Having worked with more than 16,000 high-school and middle-school students from 75 schools, Lucas is a regular workshop facilitator, speaker, mentor and judge at startup and student-focused forums. He has served as Program Director at several high-school innovation summer camps, co-instructor for Seneca Polytechnic’s HELIX Summer Institute programs from 2020-23, mentored teachers implementing problem-based learning programs in York Region, Waterloo Region, and Ghana.
Previously he was a co-lead of Startup York, principal consultant at KnL Business Consulting, Director of Project Planning and Delivery and then Director of Web Operations at Telus, and a business consultant with Accenture.
Ever since his daughters revealed that they were significantly-better chefs than him, Lucas has been improving his cooking skills - his current favourite dish to make is a braised beef short rib.
Meet the Mentors
Thank You to Our Partners
This program is offered at no cost to students thanks to a partnership between the East Gwillimbury Public Library and Advantage EG.
A special thank you to YSpace York-Simcoe at York University for connecting participants with experienced entrepreneurs and business mentors, and to Lucas Chang of Y2 Entrepreneurship Labs, our program facilitator, for leading participants through their entrepreneurial journey.
