Rising to the occasion: new youth small business program being offered in Sudbury.

• Author: Myers, Ella
• Position: SMALL BUSINESS

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Celeste Miller has a York University arts degree in book publishing and experience as an editor for the university's literary magazine, but since moving back to Sudbury, she's finding it hard to launch her career.

Miller is hoping a new small business program offered by Sudbury's Learning Initiative will give her the structure she needs to start her own business, offering author services to writers in the region.

"Right now I know exactly what I want to do for my clients, but I'm having a hard time structuring myself as a business," said Miller. "I've done things like this over the years but I've never charged for this before."

That structure is being offered by the Rise Youth Small Business Program, which launched a pilot project in Sudbury in September for people between the ages of 16 and 29.

The program is a project of Rise Asset Development, which is located in Toronto, and offers low interest small business loans, training, and mentorship for entrepreneurs with a self-identified history of mental health or addiction challenges. This can include depression, anxiety, a disability, or addiction, among other things.

The director of the Learning Initiative, Anne Cooper, jokes that half of the population could probably qualify. But she added, more seriously, that for many living with these experiences, the program's added support is essential.

"We all have something that makes us very anxious to do," agreed Miller, who said public speaking and personal promotion have always challenged her. "I never entered into my own equation. They're focusing as much on the business as the business person to help you structure your life in a healthy way, rather than running yourself into the ground."

That structure includes working with Sudbury's Northern Initiative for Social Action (NISA) to develop wellness plans for participants that identify triggers and ways to overcome them. The programs at NISA are open to the public, but through the program, participants are heavily encouraged and guided through the offerings.

As a human resource development company, the Learning Initiative offers a range of business programming and workshops. However, after the closing of the Ontario Self-Employment Benefit program (OSEB) for unemployed Ontarians, there's been a gap in the...