Go Negosyo founder Joey Concepcion urged Senior High School students to explore entrepreneurship, develop their skills, and seek mentorship that would help them reach their goals.

Senior High School students from cities of Pasig and Mandaluyong gather for Go Negosyo’s “Youthpreneur: Mentoring Future Entrepreneurs” at the Rizal High School in Pasig City on Dec. 5, 2024. (Photo from Go Negosyo)

Concepcion addressed some 500 students at the Rizal High School in Pasig City on Thursday, Dec. 5, during Go Negosyo’s “Youthpreneur Program: Mentoring Future Entrepreneurs.”

“While you are still in school, think about what you want to be; the skills will come in time,” Concepcion said.

“You can first look for a job, make your mistakes there, and then that’s the time that you can become an entrepreneur,” Concepcion, also the president and CEO of RFM Corp., added.

He was with Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary Sonny Angara to lead Youthpreneur, the non-profit’s school-based entrepreneurship mentoring program for Senior High School students in public schools.

The school-based entrepreneurship mentoring program aims “to promote an entrepreneurial mindset and increase financial literacy.”

Angara, for his part, thanked Concepcion and the private sector for their initiative to grow the next generation of entrepreneurs.

“Even the most successful businessman ay nagmula sa humble beginnings, sa munting pinagmulan (came from humble beginnings, from a small start),” he said.

“Being an entrepreneur is not easy,” he added as he thanked the private sector for creating a conducive ecosystem to encourage young people to become entrepreneurs.

Concepcion furthered that another avenue students can explore is becoming content creators by taking advantage of digital technology and social media.

Stressing the importance of mentorship, he told students that he himself was mentored by more experienced businessmen when he started his businesses.

DepEd officer-in-charge for the Bureau of Curriculum Development Director Neil Vincent Sandoval seconded Concepcion’s advice, saying that “Entrepreneurship is a pathway to empowerment, independence, and self-fulfillment.”

“This is how we shape a brighter future for Filipinos,” DepEd NCR Regional Director and OIC for the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Operations Jocelyn Dr. Andaya added, “We have to give Filipino learners a fighting chance at a decent future.”

The Youthpreneur Program has already been implemented nationwide for nearly a year in several key cities and provinces, including Cebu, Lucena, Laoag, Baguio, Bataan, Occidental Mindoro, and the National Capital Region.

Participating students during the activity came from Rizal High School, Addition Hills Integrated School, Andres Bonifacio Integrated School, Bonifacio Javier National High School, Eulogio Rodriguez Integrated School, Highway Hills Integrated School, llaya Barangka Integrated School, Isaac Lopez Integrated School, Mandaluyong High School, Mataas na Paaralang Neptali A. Gonzales, and Jose Fabella Memorial School.