Enterprise that aims to link the generations through volunteers

Akshay Goyal, who has also worked to spread awareness of AIDS among students in India, is one of the driving forces behind the development of Yoob-it, an agency that is set to create jobs in Leeds.

Yoob-it was devised by three pupils from Leeds – Farzad Ahmadi, Elijah Phillips and Wells Botomani – in 2010.

Yoob-it, which has the strapline “You do your bit. We do our bit” aims to build links between young people and the elderly.

Elaine Barker, a development director at Partners in Innovation, a not-for-profit organisation that supports young entrepreneurs, said: “Yoob-it came into being from a big ideas day that we ran at the City of Leeds school, in spring 2010.

“The boys wrote a rap song about it and put together an excellent presentation and ended up winning the Solutions for the Planet programme (a competition for young entrepreneurs) at the Palace of Westminster.

“The boys were very aware of the fact that youth unemployment was rising and opportunities for young people were becoming more and more restricted. They wanted to develop an employment agency where young people could volunteer to do jobs for elderly and disabled people, in the hope that linking these generations together they could learn from each other.”

With help from the Leeds University Business School, a six-week paid internship was established for three students, who were given the job of devising a business plan to make Yoob-it commercially viable.

The business school students, Mr Goyal, Stephanie Binks and Samson Kovacs, delivered their business plan last week.

Mr Goyal received a £45,000 scholarship to attend Leeds University after winning the Airtel NDTV Scholar Hunt, a TV show in India which is similar to BBC TV’s The Apprentice.

Ms Barker said: “The interns have been able to come up with a sustainable business model and seek avenues to find funding.

“The interns came up with a great idea, that Yoob-it should also aim for clients who were working but time poor. Working people between the ages of 19 and 59 would pay to receive services. For every hour they paid for, they will be able to nominate a member of their family or a member of their local community who will receive help from Yoob-it workers.

“We want to start off small in Leeds and ensure that we get everything right, and then expand across the city. We hope the coalition Government and Mr Cameron are really prepared to help young people and live out the Big Society. We have a proposition that can be rolled out nationally.”

Partners in Innovation are sourcing funding to cover Yoob-it’s start up costs.

Ms Barker said she hoped to raise around £30,000 from the public and private sectors to help establish Yoob-it as a small enterprise. Yoob-it is seeking free office space and hopes to employ two part-time staff. Ms Barker said Partners in Innovation is receiving support and advice from entrepreneur Keith Madeley – who is known as Mr Yorkshire – and The Prince’s Trust.

Mr Kovacs said yesterday: “The most important lesson I’ve learned from my internship is the unpredictable nature of business.”

Ms Binks added: “It was a very steep learning curve, but I greatly enjoyed my time on the Yoob-it project.”

The team behind Yoob-it has also received advice from Wrigleys Solicitors and Polly O’Malley from law firm Schofield Sweeney.