Mersey Youth Support Trust (MYST) helps young people in Liverpool to start their own business, giving them a route to financial independence and a chance to create their own positive future. For less than the price of a cup of coffee a day, MYST provides a secture facility and personalised bespoke business advice pus mentoring by experienced volunteer entrepreneurs and lots of other support within a community of young entrepreneurs from similar backgrounds.

As well as helping 27 individual young people aged 18-36, MYST's secondary aim is to contribute to the regeneration of the locality (Kirkdale) in which we operate by creating positive role models and an entrepreneurial hub that offers opportunities for these micro businesses to employ local people. Every entrepreneur at MYST is guaranteed support for 3 years to create a high growth business. We support ethnic minorities, people with disabilities / special needs regardless of their background.

MYST has already helped entrepreneurs who were previously long-term unemployed, from single parent families, have special needs, or local graduates unable to get jobs. Our goal after 3 years is that 71% of the entrepreneurs will still be trading and 21% will be in employment. This is much greater rate than the national business survival rate - and remarkable when you consider the obstacles MYSTers have had to overcome to turn their ideas into viable businesses.