2024 Global Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge

2024 Global Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge

This spring, Friends School's Business Club offered students the opportunity to participate in the 2024 Global Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge (GYEC). The GYEC is an online 12-hour business idea competition that challenges high school students to brainstorm solutions to global problems. Students can participate from anywhere with internet access. The GYEC aims to encourage young people's entrepreneurship and develop their knowledge and experience of enterprise, providing a chance for teams worldwide to tackle significant global issues through innovative and sustainable ideas. Teams typically consist of 3 to 8 students with diverse skills in areas like science, technology, business, marketing, and communication. Challenges, usually focused on global social issues such as poverty, education, energy, and climate change, are selected for each team and announced online at 8 a.m. on the competition day. Teams then have 12 hours to conduct research, develop a solution, produce a prototype, and present their idea through a written submission and a 3-minute video.

Upper School students Clara Witte '27, Kofi Hair-Ralston '27, Quinn Minke '27, and Caleb Kurlantzick '27 formed a team and received their challenge: to propose educational toys enabling 4 to 5-year-old children with visual or hearing impairments to play and learn alongside their peers. Their business solution, TenderCare Toys, produces stuffed animals designed for inclusive play and educational opportunities, utilizing AI programming for visually-impaired children and text displays for hearing-impaired children. With their solution in hand, the team compiled a formal business proposal, presenting information such as cost per unit, projected revenue, and a digital prototype.

The Global Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge (GYEC) provided an invaluable platform for Friends School students to enhance their entrepreneurial, problem-solving, and presentation skills. Through their participation, students gained practical experience in developing innovative and sustainable solutions for complex issues.