Buidling Black Entrepreneurs Program (BBEP)
As the producer of the Toronto Caribbean Carnival, the largest festival of its type in North America, the Festival Management Committee (FMC) has been providing support, guidance and opportunities to small businesses for decades. In 2022, the FMC seized the opportunity to formalize a business advisory and education service through the Government of Canada Black Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Fund. As a successful recipient, the FMC established and launched the Building Black Entrepreneurs Program (BBEP) designed to support community members in and around the Carnival or festival ecosystem in Ontario. The program provides business management education, including financial literacy, culminating in a Certificate of Completion awarded in partnership with George Brown College of Applied Arts and Technology.
The BBEP is dedicated to providing tailored training and resources that bridge industry gaps by empowering Black and Caribbean entrepreneurs in the arts, culture, entertainment and tourism sectors. Our mission is to nurture and guide businesses from specialized festival niches to sustainable year-round enterprises, fostering innovation, digital integration, and robust business practices for a competitive edge in the broader marketplace.
For more information about the program and registration click here https://www.bbep.ca/
Young Learners Program (YLP)
The Festival Management Committee engages our city’s youngest learners in the Toronto area elementary and high schools. The program seeks to promote Caribbean culture and to foster diversity by providing opportunities for students to participate in lessons, activities, and workshops relating to Caribbean Carnival history and Carnival arts. The aim of the program is to highlight the historical importance and contributions of Canadians of Caribbean heritage, and by extension, African, Indian, Chinese, European and the many other places from where Caribbean people originate. The program also highlights the contributions of individuals from the Caribbean community to the wider Canadian society