Community Engagement
At the Black Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub, we have an unflinching commitment to engaging the wider Black, African and Caribbean community as well as other diverse underrepresented people groups in our conduct, mobilisation and dissemination of entrepreneurial research and data.
We do this by working closely and directly with community to gather firsthand information about Black businesses, their aspirations, challenges and opportunities for growth and sustainability. We conduct multiple longitudinal, quantitative and qualitative research studies spearheaded by top leading academic institutions in Canada and our regional research hubs to produce peer-reviewed, high-quality research and data on Black entrepreneurship in Canada.
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Deborah brings her multilingual fluency in Arabic, English, and French to this role to facilitate seamless engagement with the francophone community and Arabic-speaking Black entrepreneurs. Her expertise bridges both people and technology, with advanced skills in web design, and digital engagement. Deborah has developed and delivered initiatives that expand brand visibility, strengthen community engagement, and advance organizational missions. She is passionate about creating opportunities where diverse voices can shape meaningful change and a perfect addition to the BEKH Team to help achieve its community engagement goals and initiatives.
The Black community also is given the chance to participate in the research themselves by providing information about their businesses and organizations into our ecosystem map, the BEEM. This way, we offer them the opportunity to contribute to a community of all Black-led or Black-owned businesses, commercial ventures, non-profits, social enterprises, as well as important information and resources for upcoming Black entrepreneurs. This information is public with a nation-wide reach.
Under the first iteration of the BEKH, our community engagement efforts were overseen by our then Co-Lead and Community Partner the Dream Legacy Foundation (DLF). Currently under the present iteration, we continue our community engagement efforts led by Deborah Allotey, Community Coordinator at the Black Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub.
The BEKH aims to engage and mobilize a nationwide network of Black entrepreneurs, non-profit organizations, community groups, academic institutions, and researchers to share the experiences of Black entrepreneurs across Canada. Deborah and the BEKH will conduct and participate in community engagement activities to support the progress of Black entrepreneurs in the Canadian innovation ecosystem. Our focus is to serve the community and create meaningful impacts and change for entrepreneurs.
Together, we can help centralise information critical to Black Canadian business owners (through our Borealis and the BEEM) and entrepreneurs as well as provide them with resources available to help them to grow their businesses and succeed now and into the future.
Black entrepreneurship has always been a vital part of Canada’s economy, but large-scale, detailed research and pan-Canadian information on it has been limited. Generating knowledge and sharing of lived experiences has a vital role in informing public policies needed to address systemic barriers Black entrepreneurs face.
Success and innovation thrive in networks. We are still actively collaborating with ecosystem partners and entrepreneurs to get to know the different networks of organizations and resources that can help bolster your business to the next level.
Be a part of hundreds of other Black entrepreneurs and business owners who have points on the map!