On Thursday 14^th November, Year 13 & 14 Young Enterprise pupils attended the Global Innovation Summit at Queen’s University, Belfast. The event took place over 3 days, with various keynote speakers including Professor Brian Cox, Bill Neely, Dave Linton, Sinead Rocks and many more. This year’s focus was on global sustainability and economic inclusion. We were invited on Day 3 to showcase the partnership between Young Enterprise and schools to promote innovation and entrepreneurial skills. Pupils were also given the opportunity to attend parts of the conference, including interesting panel conversations; Breaking Barriers: The impact of women in shaping an innovating economy and innovating for social change.

Year 14 pupils Bernice Wong, Nathan Ozuem and Redison Lau took part in the Company programme last year. They sold hoodies under the business name ACE (standing for Active, Confidence, Embrace) which focused on promoting positive mental health by displaying positive messages on their hoodies.

Year 13 pupils have just begun their journey in this year’s Company programme. Naomi Anderson, Lucy Davidson, Philip Glasgow, Jacob McNutt, Gabrielle Mischook and James Parks attended, showcasing their new business Worn to Carry, which converts old, unused jeans into new fashionable tote bags. Their focus is on sustainability by extending the life cycle of a pair of jeans and reducing landfill.

All pupils showcased their business ideas excellently to leaders across global business, with a surprise visit at the end of the day by Hilary Clinton, who enjoyed hearing about their innovation and promotion of positive mental health and sustainability. Mrs Clinton left the event with a Worn to Carry bag of her own, and the team persuaded her to sign a bag for them. You can look out for it on display at the school’s Twilight Market in December where Worn to Carry will be selling their bags!