Caribbean Creatives July-Sept 2013 | Page 9

C A R I B B E A N C R E A T I V E S Democratizing information involves empowerment of young people to realize opportunities for themselves. Conventional culture tends to reinforce its values through parental in?uence which does not generally encourage risk- taking behaviour when compared with more stable employment options. However, creative entrepreneurship requires changed mindsets and behaviour that often go beyond conventional wisdom and personal comfort zones. As such, the initial conditions for policy tools to work at both the individual and group levels and through interaction at di?erent levels are created that can e?ect lasting institutional change. Tools for Creation There is increasing need to create mechanisms such as open systems free of bureaucracy that make the development of ideas from the young generation possible. The high cost of software and hardware (Linux, Mozilla, etc) are made more accessible through these systems. Open-source software is an important alternative route that allows users free access to source code. It is also critical to o?er updated facilities (e.g. incubators, innovation parks) and activities like design training, scholarships and creative awards (see Figure 2). Tools for Construction A key area for strategic investment is the process by which creative entrepreneurs are brought into the marketplace. Start-up incubators have become one of the innovative and most successful ways to facilitate the introduction of new ?rms into the market. The incubators o?er a range of business and innovation support services like access to capital, mentoring, specialized training and networking that reduce the risks associated with embryonic ?rms. This model of market entry is critical for expanding the pool of young entrepreneurs in the creative sector. Tools for Trade Closing the circle between production and the market is one of the most di?cult challenges faced by the young creative entrepreneurs. The development of entrepreneurial and marketing skills is important for innovation and sustainable employment. Creative entrepreneurship therefore requires the establishment of an appropriate model that involves market access and market entry for young industry practitioners through a sequential and systematic programme of market incubators, residencies, internships and market access programmes. Volume 5 July - September 2013 The aim is to develop entrepreneurial skills, enhance collaboration and networking among the young entrepreneurs and build a market presence. So to ask a question posed by UNIDO, can a development model that does not see where and how a culture has existed for hundreds or thousands of years be applied sustainably to any industrial sector? How do we transform the creativity of global youth into culture based innovation and translate such synergy into development outcomes and entrepreneurship? The answer appears to lie in the foregoing analysis which suggests that there are speci?c areas for intervention, which di?erentiates from the traditional goods sector. Fundamentally and perhaps di?erent also to the creative goods sector is the reliance on the institutionalization of creativity to enhance creative entrepreneurship. This may explain why certain societies are able to productively organise creativity to solve society s most pressing challenges and achieving progress, when others have lagged behind in spite of abundant creativity and rich civilization. Sustainable development using this approach appears to reside in the deep-seated concept of organised behaviour geared at transforming the creativity of global youth into culture based innovation, development outcomes and lasting and constantly evolving creative entrepreneurship This     Working   Paper   has   been   prepared  as   an   outcome   of     the   work   undertaken     by   the     UNIDO   commissioned  Panelists   who   participated   in   the   session   on     Development   Policy   and   Creative   Industries,   at   the   European   Forum   of     Alpbach’s     Political   Symposium   2012,   held   on   27   August   2012   in   Austria.   Giulio Vinaccia This  document  has  been  prepare d  under  the  overall  guidance  of   Aurelia  Calabro  and  Inez  Wijngaarde  as  the  in-­??house  Team  of   UNIDO  working   on  the  development   o  the  Creative  Industries   (CI)   sector.  The  principle  consultants  and  developers  have  been   Dr.   Keith   Nurse,   Faculty  Member     at   the   University  of   the   West  Indies,  based     at    the  Barbados  Campus,  and  Dr.  Zhen  Ye,   of   the   University  of   Chicago  Booth  School  of  Business  EMBA   Program.   In   addition,   expertise  and   comments   were   provided   by  other   CI  experts   on  the    Panel   i.e.,    Eng.  Giulio   Vinaccia,     Dr.  Gertraud  Leitmueller  and  Dr.  LemLem  who  worked    closely   with  the  UNIDO  Team  at  the  2012  Forum  in  Alpbach. www.creativeindustriesexchange.com 9