welcome course
Mercy Corps Sustainable Community Empowerment Grant (SCEG)
Entrepreneurship Track
WHAT WILL YOU LEARN?
Throughout the Belmont Foundation Youth Innovation & Enterprise Lab Entrepreneurship Track, you will participate in interactive workshops, practical activities, mentoring, and hands-on business development experiences covering the following topics:
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Sustainable Agriculture and Climate Resilience
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Entrepreneurship and Business Development
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Financial Literacy and Business Management
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Product Development and Quality
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Branding, Marketing and Customer Engagement
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Digital Skills and Artificial Intelligence
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Business Registration and Enterprise Readiness
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Practical Enterprise Experience
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• Climate-smart and weather-responsive farming
• Sustainable food systems
• Soil health and water conservation
• Crop selection and diversification
• Harvesting and post-harvest handling
• Sustainable production planning
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• Developing an entrepreneurial mindset
• Identifying business opportunities
• Creating value-added products
• Business planning
• Business models
• Problem-solving and innovation
• Goal setting for entrepreneurs
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• Budgeting
• Bookkeeping and record keeping
• Product costing
• Pricing strategies
• Cash flow management
• Inventory management
• Financial decision-making
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• Product design and refinement
• Food safety and hygiene
• Quality assurance
• Product testing
• Packaging
• Labelling
• Product consistency
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• Branding your business
• Understanding your customers
• Customer service excellence
• Hospitality and professionalism
• Sales techniques
• Market research
• Market testing
• Building customer relationships
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• Digital literacy
• Social media marketing
• Digital storytelling
• Photography and video for business
• Artificial intelligence tools for entrepreneurs
• E-commerce
• Online customer engagement
Business Registration and Enterprise Readiness
• Registering a business
• Understanding business compliance
• Preparing for market
• Pitching your business
• Launch planning
• Building a professional business identity
Practical Enterprise Experience
• Developing a market-ready product
• Working with mentors
• Receiving one-on-one coaching
• Showcasing your products
• Selling through the Youth Innovation Store
• Networking with entrepreneurs and industry partners
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• Registering a business
• Understanding business compliance
• Preparing for market
• Pitching your business
• Launch planning
• Building a professional business identity
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• Developing a market-ready product
• Working with mentors
• Receiving one-on-one coaching
• Showcasing your products
• Selling through the Youth Innovation Store
• Networking with entrepreneurs and industry partners
INTRODUCTION
WELCOME TO YOUR ONLINE LEARNING JOURNEY!
The Belmont Foundation Youth Innovation & Enterprise Lab combines online learning with hands-on practical training, mentoring, and classroom discussions. The online portion of the programme is designed to prepare you for the practical sessions at Belmont Estate.
You do not need to be an expert with computers to succeed. You simply need to develop good learning habits, stay organized, and ask questions whenever you need help.
Remember, the goal is not to rush through the course. The goal is to understand the material so you can confidently apply it during practical activities and when developing your own business.
What You'll Learn
Throughout the Belmont Foundation Youth Innovation & Enterprise Lab Entrepreneurship Track, you will participate in interactive workshops, practical activities, mentoring, and hands-on business development experiences covering the following topics
Your Entrepreneurial Journey Begins Here
One of the most exciting parts of this programme is that you won't simply learn about entrepreneurship—you'll build your own business idea throughout the programme.
LOCKED FEATURES
FEATURES WILL BECOME AVAILABLE WHEN ANNOUNCED BY FACILITATOR
LOCKED FEATURES
FEATURES WILL BECOME AVAILABLE WHEN ANNOUNCED BY FACILITATOR
LOCKED FEATURES
FEATURES WILL BECOME AVAILABLE WHEN ANNOUNCED BY FACILITATOR
LOCKED FEATURES
FEATURES WILL BECOME AVAILABLE WHEN ANNOUNCED BY FACILITATOR
PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO THE FOLLOWING
LET'S GET YOU READY!
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PREPARE YOUR LEARNING SPACE
Where you study can have a big impact on how well you learn.
Choose a place where you can concentrate with as few distractions as possible.
Before beginning a lesson:
• Find a quiet place.
• Charge your phone, tablet, or laptop.
• Have a notebook and pen ready.
• Keep a bottle of water nearby.
• Turn off unnecessary notifications if possible.
• Let family members know you need uninterrupted study time.
Even studying for just 30 to 45 focused minutes is often more effective than trying to study for several hours while distracted.
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take notes while you learn
Taking notes while watching videos or reading lessons can help you understand and remember important information.
Your notebook will become one of your most valuable resources throughout this programme.
As you work through each lesson, write down:
• New vocabulary words.
• Important facts.
• Ideas you find interesting.
• Questions you want to ask your facilitator.
• Business ideas that come to mind.
• Any tasks that appear for you to complete and share in class.
Do not try to copy every word from the screen. Instead, summarize the most important ideas in your own words.
Writing information down helps you remember it and gives you something to review before quizzes and practical sessions.
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PAUSE, REFLECT AND LEARN
There is no prize for finishing the course quickly.
Successful learners pause often to think about what they have learned.
As you move through each lesson:
• Pause the video when you hear an important idea.
• Reread sections that are difficult.
• Look up unfamiliar words if needed.
• Complete each reflection activity before moving on.
• Think about how the lesson connects to your own community or business idea.
Learning happens through understanding, not speed.
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UPLOADING ASSIGNMENTS SUCCESSFULLY
Assignments allow facilitators to understand your progress and provide helpful feedback.
Before uploading any assignment:
✓ Make sure your name appears on the document if required.
✓ Check that all questions have been answered.
✓ Review your work for spelling and grammar.
✓ Upload the correct file.
✓ Confirm that the upload was successful.
If you experience technical problems, contact the programme team as soon as possible rather than waiting until the deadline has passed.
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UPLOADING ASSIGNMENTS SUCCESSFULLY
Discussion boards allow participants to learn from one another.
Sharing ideas helps everyone grow.
When posting:
• Read the question carefully.
• Answer using complete sentences.
• Explain your thinking.
• Respect different opinions.
• Encourage your classmates.
• Stay on the topic being discussed.
Remember that there are often many good ideas. You do not need to have the "perfect" answer.
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USING WHATSAPP PROFESSIONALLY
WhatsApp is an important communication tool during this programme.
Use it professionally.
Appropriate uses include:
• Asking questions about assignments.
• Informing facilitators if you will be absent.
• Sharing programme-related information.
• Responding to announcements.
Avoid:
• Sending unrelated messages.
• Posting inappropriate content.
• Forwarding misinformation.
• Messaging facilitators late at night unless it is an emergency.
Remember that the WhatsApp group is part of a professional learning environment.
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CHECK ANNOUNCEMENTS EVERYDAY
Important programme information may be shared through:
• The learning platform
• Email
• WhatsApp
Announcements may include:
• Assignment reminders
• Schedule changes
• Materials to bring
• Guest speakers
• Field activity information
Checking announcements daily will help you stay prepared and avoid missing important information.
