This fundraising project will fund the Second Flight of TERN's Incubator programme. The programme will support 20-25 refugees to start their business by connecting them with an experienced local business mentor, who will help them to develop their personalised business plan and connect them to relevant networks. TERN will provide business skills training and support throughout the programme, and offer access to finance. Helping these refugees launch their business journey.
The number of refugees in the UK is increasing, particularly as the UK moves towards meeting its target of accepting 20,000 Syrian refugees by 2020. This, in itself, is not the problem. The problem is that the current climate is unfavourable to refugee inclusion, entrepreneurship and innovation. There is a misleading narrative of refugees as helpless and unable to contribute to society, which contributes to high unemployment rates of refugees and poor integration into host communities.
TERN recognises and promotes the high potential for refugees to be included into the economic market as innovative and talented individuals. Through providing support for refugees in the creation and development of their own businesses, TERN aims to do to two things: firstly, improve the lives of individual refugees in the UK and reduce unemployment rates. Secondly, begin to change the public perception of refugees' capacities through demonstrating their skill and creativity as individuals.
Refugees emerge from the Incubator programme with business skills, networks and access to finance. Developing their business with TERN will provide them with two kinds of substantial long-term impacts: it will provide them with an income source and reduce their risk of future unemployment, whist also integrating them into their local society and business community through the partnership with their mentor. These successes will have lasting positive impacts on the public perception of refugees.
This project has provided additional documentation in a PDF file (projdoc.pdf).
