The University of Winnipeg’s Wii Chiiwaakanak Learning Centre – Youth Entrepreneurship Education Program


The University of Winnipeg’s Wii Chiiwaakanak Learning Centre is a bridge between The University of Winnipeg and the Aboriginal and inner-city communities.  The Centre is a partnership led by a community advisory committee that provides educational and capacity building opportunities for children, youth and families.  It is designed to reflect community need for an educational gathering place that is inclusive, and breaks down the barriers to post-secondary education.  More than 1,700 community members use the Centre each month!

The centre offered a Youth Entrepreneurship Education Training program over a twelve week after-school program empowering youth aged 15-25 through entrepreneurship education, training and cultural learning at the The University of Winnipeg’s Wii Chiiwaakanak Learning Centre. It is funded by the Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada (AANDC) Cultural Connections for Aboriginal Youth program.

We worked with the participants of Youth Entrepreneurship program at the University of Winnipeg to develop brands and provide marketing communication information sessions for their respective business entities. The winner of the entrepreneurship program won a chance to pitch their business idea at the Annual National Reservation Economic Summit in Las Vegas, hosted by the National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development.