Press release 17/05/2018
CycleSafe from Limerick wins Foróige Best Innovation Award 2018
CycleSafe, founded by Breda Magner & Evan Condon both aged 16, from Desmond College, Limerick won the Foróige Best Innovation Award for their business which provides a product that helps increase the safety of cyclists at night, by using lasers to create temporary cycle lanes.
Foróige, the leading youth development organisation in Ireland, hosted the Youth Entrepreneur of the Year Awards in the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland, Kildare St., Dublin on Tuesday 15th May 2018.
Sarah Leahy and Ava Cashin, both aged 16 from Desmond College were also finalists at the event for their business E-Rings, which sell stylish earrings made from stationary objects.
Rachel McPartlin, age 16 from Leitrim with the business Rachel’s Heavenly Homemades, which is a Gluten Free Bakery, won the Youth Entrepreneur of the Year Award 2018 at the event.
The eighteen young finalists reached the final after competing against twelve hundred other young entrepreneurs throughout Ireland, over the last year in regional and county finals.
A Special Recognition Award was awarded to Davey Feeney, Tom Flanagan and Fraser Gaine who are founders of the business Kard in Sligo. Their business produced a discount student card to help secondary students live within their means. The boys were nominated by their CET Dervilla Casey, a teacher in their school, Summerhill College.
Seán Campbell, CEO Foróige, said “the Foróige NFTE Entrepreneurship Programme has multiple positive impacts on the young people who take part in it. Career aspirations increase; interest in attending college increases; business knowledge increases; leadership behaviour increases; and a belief that attaining goals is within their control significantly increases.
“Empowering young people is what Foróige does, and we are more than proud of everything the young people here today have achieved.
The companies represent Leitrim, Donegal, Sligo, Laois, Offaly, Dublin, Cork, Tipperary, Waterford and Westmeath.
About the NFTE Programme
This competition is being run by the Foróige Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE).
The Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship Programme (NFTE) is a cutting edge, world recognised, youth entrepreneurship education and development programme for young people experiencing disadvantage and adversity in their lives. It is managed and provided by Foróige in Ireland and is part of an international programme that first originated in the USA and was brought to Ireland in 2004.
Involvement in the NFTE programme has been shown to improve the business, academic, life skills and aspirations of young people. Foróige NFTE is committed to changing the lives of young people in disadvantaged communities by enabling them to develop core skills in business and enterprise, and in doing so help them to unlock their individual talents and potential.
The Foróige NFTE programme is made possible through the valued support of;
Dormant Accounts Funding through the Department of Education and Skills basis.point - an initiative of the Irish Funds Industry
Community Foundation for Ireland
Laois Offaly ETB
About Foróige
Foróige is the leading youth organisation in Ireland. The charity works with over 50,000 young people and 5,500 adult volunteers annually, through a network of more than 650 youth clubs & cafés, 160 targeted projects and national programmes such as Entrepreneurship (NFTE), Health & Wellbeing, Citizenship and Entrepreneurship.
Foroige.ie
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Captions:
- Breda Magner & Evan Condon founders of Cyclesafe won the Foróige Best Innovation Award 2018
- Sarah Leahy and Ava Cashin, both aged 16 form Desmond College were also finalists at the Foróige Youth Entrepreneur of the Year Awards for their business E-Rings
