A 15 year-old from Coolock in Dublin has secured an all expenses-paid trip to Washington DC after winning a hotly contested competition run by Foróige Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE).
Laura Greene, a 15-year-old Transition Year student from Colaiste Dhulaigh in Coolock, set up her business – ‘Laura’s Crystal Ware’ - customising hand-painted glassware. Laura has a love of all things craft related so was delighted to get the opportunity to combine her passion with a business.
Reacting to her win, Laura said: ''I can’t believe I’ve won - it’s been such a great experience setting up my own business. What started as me selling my designs to friends and family has led to my glassware being sold on Stena Line and Irish Ferries. I’m so excited!”
Seven other businesses reached the finals of the ‘International Business Plan’ competition which was judged by Tara O’Shea from Microsoft Ireland, Joe Redmond from Fexco, Kieran Guilfoyle from 3V and Pat Burke from Grant Thornton.
Laura will now represent Ireland at NFTE’s Annual Global Gala which celebrates the power of entrepreneurship education. Laura will get to meet young entrepreneurs from ten other countries when they attend the 20th annual ‘The Blueprint: 20 Years of Building Futures’ in Washington DC on April 24th.
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About Foróige:
Foróige is the leading and largest youth organisation in Ireland. Foróige works with 56,000 young people annually delivering a diverse range of programmes and services including a number of Garda Diversion Projects supporting young people at risk. The organisation has more than 5,000 adult volunteers and a network of 597 youth clubs and 150 targeted projects making it the largest youth organisation in the country. Foróige also runs national programmes such as Citizenship, Entrepreneurship (NFTE) and Leadership.
About the Foróige Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE):
As part of the Foróige NFTE programme, students study all aspects of starting and successfully running a business including idea generation, goal setting, customer services, marketing, book keeping, presentation skills, communication skills and social responsibility. They also engage with suppliers and work with business mentors. The programme also helps young people to build self-confidence and interpersonal skills, increase their prospects for employment and foster career and college aspirations to encourage school completion.
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