Youth Business Greening Workshop towards building climate change resilience for young people living in informal settlements

Dialogue on Shelter recently conducted a workshop focused on greening businesses for youth entrepreneurs living in informal settlements in Harare. Youth from Hatclife and Epworth participated The workshop had several key objectives:

- Identifying opportunities to integrate green components into existing business enterprises.
- Informing the process of co-designing, developing, and implementing strategies for green practices.
- Enhancing the understanding of climate change issues within the business context among youth.
- Building the capacity of young entrepreneurs to adopt and implement green practices.

Youth businesses play a crucial role in economic development and innovation. Through the SAIC project funded by Plan International, Dialogue on Shelter is driving Outcome 3, which centers on youth economic empowerment. This project not only emphasizes financial success but also focuses on ensuring that youth-led businesses are sustainable and environmentally friendly, which is vital for long-term growth and ecological balance. The primary goal for Outcome 3 is to ensure that “Young women and men are empowered through decent income opportunities.”

This workshop marks a significant step towards embedding sustainability and environmental considerations into youth businesses. Discussions covered green practices, promoting eco-friendly business models, and ensuring that young entrepreneurs adopt practices that minimize adverse environmental impacts.