Dragons’ Den is a CBC TV show that extols entrepreneurship and capitalism. Five eminently successful entrepreneurs (the “dragons”) hear pitches from budding entrepreneurs who are looking for financial support to develop their business plan, and in most cases they fail to make their case and leave empty-handed. The show of November 13 offered junior entrepreneurs a chance to make their pitch, and the last segment featured a group of youngsters from our neighbourhood in Halifax. They wanted a loan of $10,000 to further develop their business of growing vegetables and herbs to make salad dressings, the profits going to scholarships for disadvantaged youngsters in the area.

We live in one of the poorest areas in the city of Halifax. These young entrepreneurs are predominantly of African origin, and life is a struggle for them and their parents. Their families, here for many generations, had settled in Africville, on the northern tip of the Halifax peninsula, but the ruthless ‘60's uprooted them to make way for access roads to a new harbour bridge and settled them in our area. With proper adult mentorship, our entrepreneurs took over an abandoned lot covered with weeds, and planted a vegetable garden. St. Patrick’s Church allowed them to put up a greenhouse at the back of one of its parking lots. The $10,000 they were seeking is to improve their greenhouse facility to grow herbs all year round, thus meeting the demand for the salad dressings they produce.

Four of the five dragons were very impressed with their pitch and with what they have managed to accomplish already, and above all they were genuinely moved by their spirit, one of them in tears, and the other barely containing them. Each of them offered $10,000 and forewent the royalty they were offered. This meant $40,000 rather than $10,000. The fifth dragon, counterfoil to Amanda Lang on a CBC Newsworld show on financial affairs, is the only one who was unmoved by these young people. Not too surprising. He assiduously cultivates the image of the Don Cherry of the financial world.

The Hope Blooms logo on the t-shirts worn by these youngsters was bang on. Hope did indeed bloom when they met with the dragons and it will continue to bloom on Brunswick Street. A contagious hope that broke down barriers, a hope fueled by their solidarity with each other, a hope that will flow into our larger community and give it new energy and enthusiasm.

The most surprising quality of these youngsters was their discipline. The show was taped in the early summer, and they kept their good news secret until now. Not a peep. Not a word, even though, I am sure, they were itching to tell their friends, and many were asking them. I tried, but to no avail.