STUDENTS from Bangor Academy and Sixth Form College have secured the Young Enterprise Northern Ireland (YENI) company of the year crown.
Their business, called Fur-Real, created a range of upcycled dog toys which were popular with shoppers at the charity’s Big Market events earlier this year.
And the Bangor students then saw off the challenge of almost 80 other student companies from across the north to win and go forward to represent the region at the Young Enterprise UK Company Final Awards in June.
The glittering return of the YENI awards to Belfast City Hall, which were hosted by Pete Snodden, celebrated the charity’s top companies, volunteers and supporters.
Guests heard from previous alumni including Matthew Thompson, founder of Best of Belfast podcast, and Reuben McFeeters, founder of Hotties Hot Chocolate, and were entertained by current Young Enterprise student Andrew Dolan, from Omagh who is preparing to launch his first single.
US Economic Envoy to Northern Ireland for Economic Affairs, Joe Kennedy III, was special guest at the awards.
A week earlier, the Young Enterprise charity was stunned to be included as part of President Joe Biden’s speech at Ulster University, marking 25 years since the signing of the Good Friday Agreement.
During the event, Mr Kennedy said: “Young Enterprise is all about equipping young people with the skills they need in order to not just navigate a changing world, but to lead it. To be able to ask questions and find answers, cut through hard topics. Giving them the resilience and confidence, to know that this is not going to be an easy path, but it is a path worth taking.
“Northern Ireland is an incredibly bright and capable hands. The young people here are as talented, as motivated, and as driven as any anywhere across the globe. What I'm so excited to do in my role now is to help champion these folks and shine a spotlight on them.
“The Belfast Good Friday Agreement was about creating peace and prosperity and stability for the people of Northern Ireland so that the next generation could have a brighter future and a brighter horizon. We are now 25 years after that historic day. It's time for young people to take the lead.”
YENI chief executive Carol Fitzsimons said: “Earlier this month welcomed the US President to Northern Ireland and were delighted that the charity, our alumni and young entrepreneurs were recognised in his speech – a real endorsement of our work.
“It is a privilege to welcome his special envoy Joe Kennedy III to these awards, for the final event of his visit, to celebrate the achievements of our students.”
Several other awards were handed out at the event. Flavoured coffee bag company Coffee & Co from Bloomfield Collegiate were named runner-up to Bangor Academy, while period product subscription business Flow-Mail from St Mary’s University College took the start-up programme award.
St Bernard’s Primary School’s Krafty Kids were named winners of the Danske Bank sustainability challenge as part of the business beginnings programme.
The YENI company programme provided entrepreneurship opportunities to around 800 young people in 2022 and is made possible by the support of Allstate NI, EY, and Ulster University Business School, while the charity is principally funded by the Department of Education.
