Inspire Yukon is an innovation and community leadership program designed by, and for, young people and educators in the Yukon.  Led by Yukon instructors and featuring community leaders and entrepreneurs, the program seeks to connect entrepreneurship, education and culture through experiential workshops and real world activities. 

About Inspire Yukon


The Yukon is filled with a huge range of opportunities for young leaders to grow and create innovative ideas!  We aim to create space for young people to feel empowered to bring their  ideas to life, by applying their cultural values, traditions and history. Inspire Yukon is a 12-week program that offers skills development, community building, and unique experiences for our participants through online and in-person learning. The program encourages participants to set their own career or entrepreneurship goals guided by their interests, culture and community, while connecting with like-minded individuals from across the territory. 

  • "Inspire Yukon is so important because young people can combine their knowledge living in a digital world, with the tradition and culture that we're passing down to them. These different knowledge systems benefit their businesses that they work to set up through the program."

    —Dr. Alyce Johnson, Kluane First Nation

    Senior Advisor Inspire Yukon

This program is recruiting primarily Yukon First Nations youth, but all youth in the Yukon are welcome to apply if they meet the following criteria:

  • Aged 18-30

  • Passionate about creating meaningful community impact

  • Interested in combining personal and cultural values with business ideas

  • Committed to working on business, professional or educational goals

  • Have the time and ability to commit to the program; 8-10 hours per week

What you can expect from the program:

The Inspire Yukon program has three distinct levels which help participants grow and apply their knowledge and ideas as they move through the program. We call the levels Inspire, Innovate and Initiate to reflect each level’s main focus.

Inspire pathway
Weeks 1-6

Participants learn about the foundations of entrepreneurship and leadership from an Indigenous perspective. They focus on discovery and self-reflection, to help make their goals clear for a successful future. Throughout this level, participants learn about and engage with their community through a community impact project.

Innovate pathway
Weeks 7-12

Participants go through the steps of building a project or business idea that results in a concrete model to test in the real world.

Initiate pathway
For graduates

Alumni and graduates of the program bring their ideas and plans into reality with the guidance of mentors, financial resources and access to professional services.

What we offer to our participants:

  • Weekly live sessions with instructors and coordinators who come from the Yukon, or have significant experience living in the Territories

  • Group Health and Wellness sessions with local experts and cultural leaders

  • Mental health and wellness 24/7 phone-in supports

  • On-going 1-1 check-ins with program coordinators

  • Weekly guest speaker sessions with local/Northern entrepreneurs

  • A weekly allowance and start-up grants

  • Access to technology supports and internet

  • A safe, collaborative and fun virtual or in-person learning environment

Apply Now

Meet our past participants and become Inspired!

We take pride in our participants’ unique and individual journeys through the program. We love promoting their stories and business ideas to inspire others to join the program.

Stories
Mary-Anne Stokes, Nunavut
Mary-Anne Stokes, Nunavut

Mary-Anne Stokes is from Iqaluit, Nunavut and cares about creating healthy, clean living spaces for people in her community. Her goal is to create a professional residential and commercial cleaning service in Iqaluit that would also help create jobs for other young people who are interested in this field.

Geela Kango, Nunavut
Geela Kango, Nunavut

Geela Kango is passionate about her community of Iqaluit, Nunavut and making it the best possible place for her and her family. Geela is a mother, a student, and is interested in mental health and wellness education, support and resources in her community.

Kourtney Bergen, Nunavut
Kourtney Bergen, Nunavut

“I had a really good experience, I learned a lot. I met some awesome people, there are good guest speakers. That they (Inspire Nunavut) are willing to help people and other people to get more knowledge in all this stuff. It was my first time learning online and I did not mind learning online.”

Shawna McLeod (Fort Providence, NWT)
Shawna McLeod (Fort Providence, NWT)

Shawna believes being an entrepreneur means taking a risk, believing in yourself, and working towards bringing an idea to life. She grew up with support from her family and believes it’s important for entrepreneurs to be surrounded by supportive people to grow and succeed.

Our delivery and advisory team

 

Meet our local experts!

Throughout the Inspire program, participants also have the opportunity to learn from local instructors and entrepreneurs, through a Northern perspective, and build a network of support from across the territory.

 
 

Diyet van Lieshout

"When you have the opportunity to have your own adventure and have your own experience that is uniquely yours, don't ever pass up those opportunities, because those are the gateways to the rest of your life."

Diyet Music
Burwash Landing, Yukon

Jamena James Allen

“Believe in yourself 100%, believe in who you are. And if you’re a First Nations, be proud of being a First Nations and don’t let anyone put you down.”

Shakat Tun Wilderness Camp (Kluane Lake, Yukon)

Jackie Olson

“If you have a passion for something, figure out a way to do it. It could be very small, but it will only be small for a while.”

Peabody’s Photo Parlour
Dawson City, Yukon

  • “I like to say Yukon is my community because I have many connections to many communities within the Yukon, and I find I enjoy that aspect of our interconnectedness within our People”

    Brenda Lee Asp

    BeLeeV Mind,Body Spirit Gifts (Haines Junction, Yukon)

    Learn more

  • “Always remember your passion, and if it’s something you really want to do, you can learn a lot.”

    Delmar Washington

    Capital Helicopters Inc. (Haines Junction, Yukon)

    Learn more

  • “You need to just go ahead, put your head down and get at it…and if it doesn’t succeed, try again.”

    Greg Hakonson

    Oro Enterprises Ltd. (Dawson City, Yukon)

    Learn more

  • “The sky’s the limit”

    Jackie McBride-Dickson

    Takhini River Ranch (Whitehorse, Yukon)

    Learn more

  • “My advice for people who have great ideas or outlandish ideas is just do them. And if you fail, celebrate it, and celebrate it in a big way, and then try another new idea. I think you just have to go for it.”

    Luann Baker-Johnson

    Lumel Studios (Whitehorse, Yukon)

    Learn more

  • “You have unique gifts. You have a special gift to share with the world. Please share it. Identify it, share your passion, move forward.”

    Math’ieya Alatini

    GSD Strategies Inc. (Whitehorse, Yukon)

    Learn more

  • “Don't give up, keep going. You’ve got to keep going.”

    Sam Johnson Jr.

    Uplands Mining (Burwash Landing, Yukon)

    Missing link here

Our partners

As an organization we believe in and value the importance of collaboration by bringing together youth, elders, artists, educators and entrepreneurs to foster dialogue and innovation on locally driven responses to community challenges.

Get involved

We’re always looking to meet and work with knowledgeable people from across the Yukon to deliver the program as guest speakers, instructors, business mentors and career coaches. Their insight and expertise ensure that we deliver the highest quality content-always from a Yukon perspective.

 

Contact us