Young people from around the world are visiting London for the last round of a global entrepreneurship contest, taking place this week.
Thirty young people are taking part in the final of the British Council’s international enterprise challenge to mark the first-ever Global Entrepreneurship Week last November.
The 17-20-year-olds, who attend vocational schools across Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Kazakhstan, Nepal, Pakistan and Uzbekistan, are from communities affected by war and political instability.
Following last November’s regional contest, winning teams from each of the six countries are coming to the UK capital today for a three-day final at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre on the Southbank. They will be tasked with developing a product or service to tackle pollution in their home town or village and encouraged to think about the environmental impact of industry.
The initiative is part of the UK’s Make Your Mark enterprise campaign.
Martin Davidson, CEO of the British Council, said: “Projects like this play a crucial role in giving young people the skills, knowledge and understanding to change their societies, allowing our brightest and best entrepreneurs to make vital connections with their counterparts overseas can only benefit the UK.”
Global Entrepreneurship Week 2008 involved an estimated up to five million young people in thousands of events across 77 countries with the specific aim of developing enterprising ideas to tackle both international challenges, such as poverty and climate change, and more specific problems in local communities.
© Crimson Business Ltd, 2009