Empowering Indigenous Entrepreneurs for Sustainable Growth

1. Fostering Community Entrepreneurship Jamie Holloway, Kati Gruber, Emily Cherkin, Laura Quinn

2. Overview • Mission Statement • Millennium Development Goals • Literary Review • Inspiration • Project Goals • Progression of Project • Project Partners • Future Project Goals

3. Mission Statement To promote sustainable entrepreneurship for indigenous community organizations by selling their products for fair trade prices internationally.

4. Millennium Development Goals • Tumul K’in enables rural/ underprivileged youth to honor and make use of cultural and natural resources • Provides aid for educational opportunities • Learning to live sustainably • Learning importance of cultural identity • Develop global partnership for development • Small-scale fair-trade alliance

5. Literary Reviews: Problems and What was Discovered • Foreign owned business • Exploitations of indigenous knowledge • Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples

6. Inspiration for Project • Organization with community focus • Fostering indigenous rights • Cultural identity • Entrepreneurial component

7. Project Goals • To connect with groups in Vermont • Store for Peace and Global Justice • University of Vermont’s Community Development & Applied Economics Store • Create trade link between Tumul K’in in Blue Creek, Toledo District • Sell local hot sauces/jams for foreign prices • Tumul k’in profits • Continue relationship

8. Progression of our Project • Deciding on a project • Finding an ongoing organization • Contacting with organizations in Belize and U.S. • Figuring out shipping/customs • Meeting with Tumul k’in • Placement of initial shipment

9. Tumul K’in Learning Center • Residential high school • Location in Toledo District • Equal opportunity regardless of financial ability or gender • Cross cultural education • Integration of theory and practice • Life skills • Sustainable living • Maya cultural traditions • Entrepreneurship • Community

10. Tumul K’an Do It! • Four year program on campus • Fifth year independent entrepreneurial project • Field work: 3 hours per day • Corn fields (milpa) • Apiary • Cacao processing • School construction and maintenance

11. Tumul K’in Mission • Enables rural youth to access high school education • Integration of Maya culture into course work • Elements: • Education • Research • Sustainability

12. Peace and Justice Store • Non-Profit Retail store supporting community building • Advocates for justice and diversity • Socially responsible • Extension of Peace and Justice Center

13. Community Development & Applied Economics Store • Student run store in University of Vermont student center. • CDAE supports sustainable local and international communities through interdisciplinary research and outreach that serves the public interest. • Links study abroad program with CDAE program at UVM • Fosters entrepreneurial education

14. Returning to Vermont • Present products to CDAE Store Committee for approval • Carry out presentation for Peace and Justice Store • On campus marketing • Link with student club: Students for Peace and Global Justice

15. Future Goals • Continuation of relationship with Tumul K’in • Art and craft sales • CDAE service-learning project

16. Special Thanks to: • Tumul K’in • Esther Sanchez: Principle • Roxanna: Coordinator • Filiberto Penados: Founder • Michael Moser: Manager CDAE Store • Kathy Bouton: Peace & Justice Center • Donald Rowen: Importing

17. And… • Gary Flomenhoft: Service-Learning Professor • Conor Casey: Service-Learning TA • William Murray: Driver