KCOM helps young entrepreneurs build links across continents
Young Hull entrepreneurs helped bridge the distance between East Yorkshire and South Africa when they took part in a cross-continental Google Hangout.
Young entrepreneurs from Hull have been building bridges across continents as part of Global Entrepreneurship Week 2018.
A group of budding Hull businessmen and women took part in the fourth annual Google Hangout session with counterparts from South Africa, on Tuesday, as part of the worldwide event.
The aim of the event, which was hosted at KCOM’s Learning Zone in Carr Lane, Hull, was to swap stories and shared experiences; building contacts that will lead to future cooperation between the two countries and tangible trade links.
Charles Cracknell, youth enterprise manager for Hull City Council, said: “Every year as part of Global Entrepreneurship Week there are events across Hull encouraging youngsters – at primary, secondary and 16-plus level – to be interested in business.
“There are also live hook-up chats between different countries and, in Hull, we regularly talk to other young entrepreneurs in South Africa. This is the fourth year we have hosted one of these at KCOM and it’s great to be able to keep building those relationships.”
Global Entrepreneurship Week started in 2008 and has since grown to include 167 nations around the world.
Mr Cracknell said: “From our point of view these sessions are invaluable because it exposes our young people to young people from other cultures, so they can learn from their experiences and see that, although they are from another country, they face many of the same problems.
“It helps to builds links that we hope one day will lead to trade links and business between the contacts they have made.”
As part of the event, a delegation from South Africa was invited to visit Hull in 2019, with a return visit from Hull to South Africa planned for 2020, in a bid to bolster links.
Selebogo Molefe, whose networking organisation The Hook Up Dinner hosted the event in South Africa, said he was looking forward to visiting Hull and making new contacts.
He said: “It’s been another great event and we’re delighted to be able to hear from our friends in Hull again. It shows us that although we on different continents many of the problems we face in business are the same. Hopefully we can learn from each other’s experiences.”