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Musap (Moose) Abdel faced homelessness, poverty, abuse and trauma in his younger years. Today, he’s the founder of two companies, a CEO, youth mentor, recent Champion of Canada (DEI) award winner, and someone dedicated to helping at-risk youth turn their own struggles into a life of successes.
Abdel’s non-profit, Struggle is Your Success (SIYS), teaches vulnerable youth aged 14 to 21 — including those who are racialized, marginalized or incarcerated — the ins-and-outs of business and entrepreneurship. During the five-week program, participants are coached on how to create a business idea and plan and then present it to their peers, while being mentored by Abdel, community volunteers, and other local entrepreneurs and business leaders.
“I always believe in second chances,” says Abdel. “It warms my heart to see them succeed.”
In four years, SIYS has helped more than 200 youth build the groundwork needed to start their own businesses. This includes becoming mechanics, joining the culinary industry, non-profit work and even guiding incarcerated youth to develop a tech app. One former program member started by creating a cleaning company before going back to school to study engineering and business.
“Instead of being incarcerated in the justice system or being in a group home all day, they can understand the importance of the entrepreneurship journey and keep building it over the course of one, two, five, 10 years,” says Abdel. “Eventually those years will turn into something more.”
Currently, there are three SIYS programs a month, with five to 10 members per program, and Abdel hopes to expand SIYS across Canada soon.