A few years ago, Kiana Eastmond's friends were wondering aloud about her career decisions. "A lot of my peers want to know they're going to have a job that provides them with some kind of security and a pension," says Eastmond, who is 25. "A lot of my friends were telling me, 'Go back to school, you can get a job.'"

 

Eastmond, who dropped out of high school at age 15, did go back to school, but didn't remain on a conventional career track. With an ear for making urban music, she at first tried to break into the industry by applying at the major record labels. "But there was no space at all in the market whatsoever for me to even find a position to intern at," she says. So in November 2012, she launched Sandbox Studios, which provides everything from recording time to project management services for urban artists, who often aren't well-served by the Canadian music industry establishment. Not only has Sandbox given Eastmond a means to pursue her passion, it's provided her clout in the biz and created jobs for five employees. Eastmond also works part-time at a not-for-profit youth initiative and hosts a radio show on CHRY.

 

On one hand, Eastmond's story is exceptional. Her smarts have earned her one of 25 spots in the first year of MaRS's brand new Studio Y program, a $10-million Government of Ontario initiative aimed at providing a talented cohort of young Ontarians with better leadership and innovation skills. Selected as a "changemaker" from among 400 applicants, Eastmond will, over the next eight months, participate in sessions working with peers and mentors to build her own business and also look beyond it to other things she might be capable of. 

 

On the other hand, Eastmond's situation has become much more typical for young Torontonians. A tough labour market is forcing them to reconsider their job prospects, forcing them to consider creating their own opportunities. The economic downturn that started in 2008 hit young Ontarians especially hard.

Since then, the provincial youth unemployment rate jumped from 11.1 per cent to almost 21 per cent, according to the Toronto Community Foundation's latest Vital Signs report. A September report by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA) drives the stats home. "In Toronto, the youth joblessness problem is so bad, it's driving that city's overall unemployment and employment rates, both of which are tracking worse than the national rate…. The problem of youth unemployment in Ontario is turning out to be chronic, rather than a short-term result of a global economic crisis."

 

Entrepreneurship has become an increasingly appealing solution. Jordan Bowden, another Studio Y participant, launched his London-based 3D Co. last May during his time as a student of urban systems and political science at McGill University in Montreal. Originally conceived as a retail business that sells 3D art, the company evolved to become a service-oriented business that uses a 3D printer to produce custom objects like architectural models.

 

"The internship opportunities weren't that compelling," says Bowden, 20. "I wanted to do something to challenge myself and I thought it would be better on a résumé than a menial job."

 

Taking the entrepreneurial plunge isn't for the fainthearted, especially for young people. As the CCPA report suggests, "unlike entrepreneurs with long work histories, credit histories and accumulated capital, young entrepreneurs who cannot rely on the support of parental wealth have little access to the seed and pre-seed levels of capital needed to test new ideas and bring them to market." Some of Bowden's start-up costs were covered by Ontario's Summer Company program while his mother helped him create his business plan. The Studio Y experience should help him take it to the next level.

 

Anisa Mirza, co-founder and CEO of Giveffect, a crowdfunding platform for charities, held positions in the not-for-profit sector and at an education technology company before launching the company last May. Mirza, 26, had had some lean times between jobs and, when the idea for Giveffect started percolating, she was nervous about leaving a secure position. But then her boss, who didn't know she was thinking of giving notice, struck up a conversation with her about risk.

 

"He said, 'I don't know why people are so afraid of quitting when it comes to their start-up. People always talk about failure, but if you fail, so what?' I was like, 'What do you mean, so what? If your start-up fails, you lose everything.' And he said, 'No, if I fail today, then I'll be out for a bit, but I'll have a team and I can put together an idea faster and will probably be more successful my second time around. You become better when you fail.' In the next three days I was able to put in my resignation."

 

Victoria Alleyne, 25, has struggled to find good work and has also helped those struggling. Her solution demonstrates that entrepreneurship isn't always an all-or-nothing proposition. After graduating in environmental studies from the University of Waterloo in 2012, she noticed that few of her classmates got jobs coming out of their co-ops. So she founded Career Skills Incubator not only to generate income, but also to help other young people improve their job skills through tailored volunteering and mentorships. The organization now has 25 operational volunteers currently supporting 200 people in the mentorship program. Alleyne purposely made sure her position as executive director wouldn't take over her life so could also take a job in the environmental field.

 

"Entry level jobs at not-for-profits don't pay much, especially when you have student loans to pay off," says Alleyne. "Sometimes people feel they have to take what they can get."

 

Entrepreneurship won't solve all the employment woes for young people in Ontario. But for those who have the knack for it, starting a business can provide more than just an income.

 

"The risk is what makes it rewarding," says Bowden. "The responsibility is on you to make it a success and I really enjoy that."