Moncton, NB — Enterprise Greater Moncton and the Youth Entrepreneurship Development Initiative (YEDI) Network have announced the list of finalists for this year’s Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge. “The Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge is going into its sixth year, and to keep seeing the number of teams steadily growing is phenomenal,” said Heath Johnson, Youth Entrepreneurship Development Officer with Enterprise Greater Moncton. This year a record 76 projects were submitted for consideration from students from communities such as Riverview, Oromocto, Petitcodiac, Shippagan, Dieppe, Moncton and Campbellton. There are 8 students, representing six projects selected to compete at this year’s finals. The projects are:
In a new feature this year, a College Category has been introduced to broaden the reach of this annual competition. “We wanted to expand the opportunities of entrepreneurial practice for students of all ages and essentially engage a wider audience in this exciting competition,” added Johnson. The finalists will now pitch their business ideas to a panel of judges at the Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge Finale taking place at the Riverview Arts Centre on Thursday, May 12. Doors will open at 5:00 p.m. with the festivities getting underway at 6:00 p.m. The Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge is the only fully bilingual business plan competition in New Brunswick. It is designed to promote entrepreneurship within high schools throughout the province by giving students the opportunity to develop an idea, research its possibilities, and sell the idea to a panel of expert judges. Last year, the competition was recognized by the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) as a global best practice in entrepreneurship education. This year’s event is being sponsored by TD Canada Trust – Retail & Commercial Banking, Coop Atlantic, NBCC, Collège communautaire du Nouveau-Brunswick, and the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA). Support has also been provided by the United Way and la Fédération des jeunes francophones du Nouveau-Brunswick. More information about the challenge can be found on the Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge website at entrepreneurshipnb.ca.
Information: Chad Peters Manager, Communications & Community Relations Office (506) 858-9550 ext. 104