OSEntreprendre’s mission is to foster the spirit of entrepreneurship in order to help build a proud, innovative, committed and prosperous Québec.
OSEntreprendre mobilizes a large network of partners to promote entrepreneurial initiatives and inspire as many people as possible to rise to the challenge of entrepreneurship. Recognizing the human adventure of entrepreneurship and encouraging Education Through Entrepreneurial Spirit characterize its actions.
For 25 years, OSEntreprendre activities have mobilized more than 1.5 million people, from young people in elementary school through university to business creators and entrepreneurs, in Québec’s 17 regions.
To become a symbol of mobilization and to help people discover their passion.
Respect – Skilfulness – Commitment
To embody its mission, OSEntreprendre draws strength from the following three pillars:
Building on its observations and its collaboration with a host of stakeholders, OSEntreprendre has developed the Reference Framework – Entrepreneurial Development in order to rally the different perspectives around a common language, where human adventure takes centre stage, together with the needs of people and the stakeholders who influence them.
The importance of entrepreneurship is often highlighted through its economic impacts and generally recognized by corroborating statistics. OSEntreprendre is proud to present a complementary outlook that both celebrates the entrepreneurial diversity in Québec and showcases the entrepreneurial adventure that motivates the entrepreneurs—who often speak of autonomy, impact and balance—and the mission they give their business.
Education Through Entrepreneurial Spirit, along with its levers of awareness, experimentation, acknowledgement and self-affirmation, is an excellent pedagogical approach that has a significant impact on the development of young people by contributing to entrepreneurial culture, student perseverance and educational success, personal satisfaction and fulfillment, and career guidance.
The Education Through Entrepreneurial Spirit, along with its levers of awareness, experimentation, acknowledgement and self-affirmation, is an excellent pedagogical approach that has a significant impact on the development of young people, student perseverance and educational success.
The Semaine des entrepreneurs à l’école is an innovative motivational event that has taken place since 2017 and that brings together some 100 000 young people throughout Québec from elementary school through university and entrepreneurs from their communities by means of free presentations offered at school. This is an awareness-raising activity, the first lever in Education Through Entrepreneurial Spirit, supporting the development of entrepreneurial culture among young people. Held in the fall, during Global Entrepreneurship Week, it inspires students to carry out their own projects during the school year.
The OSEntreprendre Challenge is a major Québec movement that acknowledges the entrepreneurial initiatives of over 47 000 participants every year, from young people from elementary school to university who are supported by school staff and entrepreneurs. The OSEntreprendre Challenge is deployed and takes root at the local, regional and provincial levels. More than 300 representatives are mobilized in all 17 regions of Québec to help shine the spotlight on projects in their communities.
Doing Business Together is a campaign that aims to change purchasing practices among local businesses, one budget line at a time. It is deployed in three components: the Doing Business Together Hub, the Doing Business Together section of the OSEntreprendre Challenge and the Ambassadors.
OSEntreprendre celebrates the diversity of Québec’s entrepreneurs and shines a spotlight on the human adventure that is entrepreneurship in a number of ways, including the Inspiring Routes to a Successful Business and the Inspiring Routes of Québec Women.
The Répertoire OSEntreprendre (in French only) is a digital tool that fosters connections between businesses in the OSEntreprendre community throughout the 17 regions of Québec and facilitates the search for local suppliers. To be registered, the business must still be operational, and provide its Québec Enterprise Number (NEQ) and its website address.
The “Entrepreneurship, I’m up for the Challenge!” campaign encourages those who take action to affirm their identity. People of all ages can draw attention to their bold achievements by posting a selfie against the background of the OSEntreprendre Challenge or the Semaine des entrepreneurs à l'école poster on social media, or by using the hashtag #moijosentreprendre. Projects eligible for the OSEntreprendre Challenge will also receive stickers and badges.
From 1987 to 1997, three entrepreneurship contests vied for the attention of Québec’s students and new entrepreneurs. In 1997, their organizers agreed to join forces and found a new provincial organization that would promote new businesses, as well as entrepreneurial initiatives carried out in schools, by means of a single major competition. In 1998, the Québec Entrepreneurship Contest was launched, under the leadership of Suzie Harvey.
Benefiting from the recognition and the solid collaboration of the school system and the socio-economic systems in the regions, the new organization has gradually become an important vehicle for social and economic development, throughout Québec. It has contributed to the rise of young businesses that have benefited from the support, visibility and credibility they acquired as participants and prizewinners to develop durable roots, strengthen their foundations, create jobs and achieve their full potential. By fostering project development in the schools, it is also recognized as a way to facilitate student retention, career guidance and the development of a sense of identity among young people.
OSEntreprendre was officially launched in September 2015. This change of name and logo, provided for in the organization strategic plan for 2014-2017 and made possible through the support of private partners, is designed to reflect the boldness of our clients and our mission to “foster the spirit of entrepreneurship. ”The “Entrepreneurship, I’m up for the challenge!” campaign encourages those who take action to storm the stage. People of all ages can draw attention to their bold achievements by posting the back of the campaign poster on social media or using the hashtag #moijosentreprendre. Projects eligible for the OSEntreprendre Challenge will also receive campaign stickers, and students will receive badges.
The Presidents-Directors General