Young men and women of Cyprus create their own ventures

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10th Junior Achievement Cyprus Company Programme Trade Fair

More than 300 students aged 15-18 participated in the 10th Trade Fair of Junior Achievement Cyprus, which took place on March 18th and 19th, 2023 at the Mall of Cyprus. The young entrepreneurs representing 53 student companies from 29 schools across Cyprus, presented and offered their innovative products and services to the public. The event was greeted by the Commissioner for the Environment, Maria Panayiotou, and the Inspector of Economic Studies of Secondary Education, Zianet Chadjiiosif, on behalf of the Director of Secondary General Education of the Ministry of Education, Dr Kyprianos Louis.

In his greeting, Dr Kyprianos stated: “The design of JA’s programmes aligns with the general goal set by the Ministry of Education in Secondary Education, which is to equip students with all the necessary knowledge and skills that will make them capable and competitive citizens and professionals in the broader European space, ready to face social and economic challenges.”

“I would like to extend my congratulations to JA Cyprus for organizing the Trade Fair, and most importantly, to the students, parents, and teachers who participated in this event. The creativity and innovation displayed by our youth are truly inspiring. The ideas presented were not only smart and useful but also environmentally friendly, which is recommended. With this kind of forward-thinking, I have no doubt that our country can and will make great strides in the future.” – Ms Panagiotou mentioned.

A panel of industry experts evaluated the students’ entrepreneurial ideas by visiting the companies’ trade stands. The distinguished members of the panel were Michalis Strouthos from Cocoon Creations, Stalo Charalambous from Novartis, Cornelia Nikolaou from the University of Nicosia, Christis Sergidis from MetLife, Zena Vardakis from Astrobank, Alexandros Antonaras from the University of Nicosia, Michalis Stavridis from PwC, Avramis Despotis from the Ministry of Education, Myria Kkali from Systema Cyprus, Petros Olympios from Bank of Cyprus, Irini Violari from ECOMMBX, and Maria Theodorou from the Ministry of Energy.

During the fair, the Best Exhibition Stand award was presented to the teams with the most innovative and creative presence – one award for each of the two days. On the first day, it was won by the GOLDENGRAINS team from Olympion High School. The team consisted of students Maria Patsali, Ioanna Dimitriou, Ioanna Antoniou, and Panagiota Agapiou, with responsible teacher Maria Eftihiou that presented a unique idea for repurposing old coffee beans into an indulgent scrub that effectively exfoliates and cleanses the skin of impurities, making it feel rejuvenated. The second group that received this recognition was TREENERGY from the Forum Private School, consisting of students Harrys Hadjithomas, Marita Hadjithoma, Nikolas Louca, Giorgos Hadjithomas, with responsible teacher Stella Ioannou. TREENERGY’s innovative idea, the Energy Tree, features multi-directional solar panels that provide free and eco-friendly energy to solar-powered phone charging points. The teams’ outstanding efforts were acknowledged through the two awards sponsored by PwC.

This year, a new award for the most effective Team Spirit was introduced, initiated by the JA Alumni Cyprus. The members of the association visited the stands of the contestants, evaluated their teamwork, and selected the following winners: The winners of the Team Spirit award were SMELlow from Agios Georgios Lakatamia Lyceum, with team members Sofocles Vassiliou, Giorgos Psilogenis, Elena Angelidis, Andreas Savvidis, and Angelos Agathangelou, under the guidance of their responsible teachers Anna Maria Pavlou and Maria Filippou. On the fair’s second day, the winning team was Ecoscribbles from Pascal English School Larnaca, comprising Chloe Massos, Alexis Antoniou, Jad Khiami, Adam Attieh, Elyad Nemati, George Khalife, Georgy Sergeev, Kamal Zeineddine, and Rafaella Christoforou.

The following ten highest-scoring teams will present their business ideas live in the Final Phase of the Company of the Year Competition 2023 on the 28th of April 2023 at the Royal Hall Nicosia, listed in alphabetical order:

  1. CHROMA (The G C School of Careers)
  2. CONNECTEEN (The Senior School)
  3. FRESHIES (The G C School of Careers)
  4. GREEN & GLAD (Lefkara Lyceum)
  5. HUSK MUSK (Foley’s School)
  6. MOUNTIVESCAPE (Emporiki Scholi Mitsi Lemythou)
  7. REPILLO (IMS Private School)
  8. SIGHT HOPPING (Laniteio Lyceum)
  9. SMELLOW (Agiou Georgiou Lakatamias Lyceum)
  10. SWIRLS (Kykkos B Lyceum)

 

The winning team will represent Cyprus at the European Competition to be held in Istanbul in July 2023.

The student companies were created within the «Company Programme» framework implemented in the Public and Private High Schools of Cyprus. This initiative provides students with hands-on experience in the workings of a business, enabling them to develop and implement their innovative ideas, from initial conception to the creation of a fully-fledged enterprise.

JA Cyprus (www.jacyprus.org) is a member of Junior Achievement Worldwide, the world’s largest non-profit organisation dedicated to educating students on entrepreneurship, work readiness, and financial literacy skills through experiential, hands-on programmes.

JA Cyprus is supported by the following:

 

  • Strategic Sponsor: PwC Κύπρου
  • Partners: MetLife, ECOMMBX
  • Supporters: The University of Nicosia, Ministry of Energy, Commerce and Industry
  • Institutional Partner: Ministry of Education, Sports, and Youth
  • Hospitality sponsor: Mall of Cyprus
  • Live Link: ΡΙΚ1 radio

 

For more information visit the JA Cyprus website at www.jacyprus.org   or contact Emily Sotiriou at 97715909 or via email at  info@jacyprus.org.