One of the participants of the Momentum-ON programme; Credit: ERG

Eurasian Resources Group (ERG), a leading diversified natural resources group headquartered in Luxembourg, has implemented a programme to support youth entrepreneurship and families during the COVID-19 pandemic.

ERG introduced the "Momentum-ON" programme to help its employees and their families in Kazakhstan during the coronavirus pandemic by encouraging young people to develop entrepreneurial skills.

Working with the Tel Aviv University Friends Association in Kazakhstan for a period of eight weeks, the online programme provided 32 students, aged 14-17, with an opportunity to acquire key skills including an entrepreneurial mindset and commercial awareness in a constructive and interactive way. The skills were then put to the test with the students forming teams and pitching business propositions.

The online training camp is part of ERG's Student Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Programme. Launched three years ago, the programme has enabled over 5,000 young adults from nine universities and a college located in ERG's operating regions in Kazakhstan to complete business entrepreneurship training and courses on start-up development.

Guided by leading business mentors, the Momentum-ON participants benefitted from a range of activities and insights, before presenting their business ideas to the judging panel. Among dozens of venture ideas, the judges found the Green Heart project, which showcased a selection of biodegradable bags made of eco-friendly materials, to be the most compelling.

Dr Alexander Machkevitch, Chairman of ERG's Board of Directors, said: "The new online training course harnesses ideas from our Student Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Programme, the Group's long-term initiative which has been a vehicle to stimulate entrepreneurship and support our local communities. This has become important and helpful to our regions of presence particularly during this challenging time. The Group is always working to encourage young people who live close to our operations to develop key entrepreneurial skills that are increasingly seen as crucial to their future and career progression".

Having proven to be successful, ERG now plans to expand the Momentum-ON programme to additional regions in Kazakhstan to support more families and teenagers with ambitions to further their entrepreneurial skills.