MISSION STATEMENT:

To offer a youth business development service to the city of Toronto, that provides opportunities for young entrepreneurs to thrive in a competitive entrepreneurial market.

VISION STATEMENT:

To become the leading youth-owned company, providing guidance and opportunities for youth-run Canadian businesses. Allowing them to interact within their communities and the Canadian small business sector at large.

  
                   
Working together to make things happen!
 

The Business

Why Youth?

Through the planning and participation of a youth trade show, at the Scarborough STEPS event, the owners of KEYS realized the need for a youth business support system. KEYS believes that young people have the freshest and most innovative ideas and are yet faced with the greatest road blocks. Thus we encourage eager youth to create legit businesses, advertise in a professional environment and network with other like-minded people.

Why KEYS?

KEYS provides an Experience: An opportunity for young people to function in a professional environment.

KEYS provides Education: Conferences focused on helping businesses reach their goals and aspirations.

KEYS provides Inexpensive Advertising: The Youth-Run Business Directory provides an opportunity for youth to promote and raise awareness about their business, for a fraction of the average market rate.

KEYS provides Information at your fingertips: The Youth-Run Business Directory will make it easier for young people in Toronto to know about the wide variety of services that are offered by community organizations. These services could be very beneficial to youth who access this information.

KEYS provides an Opportunity to shine: The awards ceremony is a way for young business owners to be recognized for all their hard work and achievements. This will instill pride in the young people who have been presented with an award, and will inspire those who attend the ceremony.

KEYS offers Co-Op placements: KEYS allows high school students to gain hands-on experience of what it takes to be a young business owner. Our youth oriented environment will provide them with a professional work setting, while giving them hope to believe that they too can be a young entrepreneur.

Who We Are

The two founders of KEYS got involved in the partnership with the sole goal of working together to create opportunities for young business owners.

Karla Smith-Brown         

Director of Communications & Co-Founder

Smith-Brown has worked with Urbanology Magazine in the editing departments, she has interviewed and written feature stories, and maintained the company database. Smith-Brown was also the editor in-chief of STEPS magazine for two consecutive years. She has planned several events including STEPS, a city wide event involving over 500 youth across Scarborough. Smith-Brown also worked as an intern for the Toronto Argonauts Football Club- dealing mainly with their charity foundation. Smith-Brown is working on her degree at the University of Guelph-Humber studying Public Relations. Currently she is a participant in the city wide leadership program, 'Emerge' as well as in the Art of Business program at The REMIX Project.

Anique Jordan                                   Creative Director & Co-Founder

Jordan has planned city wide events working directly with over 200 youth for the past 6 years.  She volunteers consistently throughout the year at various youth events and has become a well known face in healthy youth development and community engagement. She was the Creative Director of STEPS magazine for two consecutive years. She created the layout for the Scarborough wide magazine and organized, styled and directed the first STEPS magazine Toronto designer fashion spread. Jordan also directed and styled the 2007 Toronto Fashion Week 'Sparkle' photo shoot, for Urbnanology Magazine. She is attending York University studying International Development Studies and Psychology with a certificate program in non-profit management. Most recently Jordan was selected to participate in York University's International Internship Program and will be living and working in Barbados for summer 2008.

Both Jordan and Smith-Brown are graduates of the 2007 REMIX 'Art of Business Program', as well as the Heritage Skills and Development 'Business 101' program.