Afbeelding
The number of young entrepreneurs is growing exponentially, concludes the KVK. In 2017, nearly 19,000 entrepreneurs were registered, younger than 22 years old at the time. By 2022, there will be more than 50,000: an increase of 173 percent. Entrepreneurship is becoming increasingly popular among young people and students. NHL Stenden responded to this demand as early as 2019.
By establishing the Center for Entrepreneurship, NHL Stenden - with "entrepreneurial" as one of its core values - wants to support students in their entrepreneurial dreams. The Center for Entrepreneurship helps (future) entrepreneurs, freelancers and self-employed workers and makes it possible for students to work on their own business during their studies. A community for and by entrepreneurial students.
"I'm going to do this differently myself later"
One of the students who stepped into the Center for Entrepreneurship this year is Alicia Strubbe. She is second-year Social Work student at NHL Stenden and harbors an entrepreneurial desire. "My intention is to establish a treatment center for children and young people with mental health problems," Alicia says, on Entrepreneur's Day.
"When I didn't get the right help I actually needed in the past, I decided: I'm going to do this differently myself later," says Alicia. "With my care enterprise, I want to support children and young people with mental health problems, by developing personal leadership in them. With as little medication as possible and by working together with different disciplines."
And so she's busy, as an entrepreneurial student (or student entrepreneur). But Alicia is happy to put up with it. "Having a business while I’m still studying definitely has its advantages. Through entrepreneurship I learn to be assertive, to stand up for myself, to be independent and to have discipline: skills that I can also put to good use in my studies."
The Hayo Apotheker Incentive Fund
A nice kickstart could be given to Alicia by winning prizes at the Hayo Apotheker Incentive Fund - part of the Center for Entrepreneurship. The incentive fund is intended to put students' ideas and (future) ventures in sharper focus. The prize pool consists of a total of 25,000 euros. The fund is organized twice a year: one hundred students can participate each academic year.
"A very nice and instructive initiative," Alicia thinks. "The fund is there for entrepreneurial students, like me. It can give you a financial boost. It's a track consisting of interesting workshops and meetings, where you learn different skills and models to start a business. And eventually you work toward the grand finale." On the second of December, the very first winner will be declared, who will receive the grand prize of 2,500 euros.
Also on Instagram, NHL Stenden is devoting a post to the Day of the Entrepreneur. In it, in addition to Alicia's story, you can read experiences of student Daphne Ladriere (Leisure & Event Management) and alumnus Hendrikus van Seijst (Integral Safety Studies).
