In the splendid setting of the city of Cataniabeyond 1,000 young entrepreneurs and entrepreneurs representing 40 European countries they will present their mini-companies to compete for the prestigious titles of JA Europe Company of the Year e JA Europe Innovation of the Year. The event will be held at the Benedictine Monastery and the Church of San Niccolò from 2 to 4 Julytransforming these historic sites into a vibrant hub of innovation.
Organized by Junior Achievement Europe and Junior Achievement Italia, the Gen-E Festival is the largest European event dedicated to youth entrepreneurship. The event rewards the development of financial and entrepreneurial skills of students from over 40 countries, demonstrating how the use of new technologies and innovative teaching methods can allow young people to create original ideas and bridge the gap between the skills required by the world of work and those possessed at the end of the school path.
This event offers participants the opportunity to discuss, create networks of relationships and meet companies that could represent their future work.
Miriam Cresta, CEO of JA Italia, underlined: “Bringing Gen-E to Catania is the fruit of the commitment of a broad ecosystem that JA Italia has created to trigger a change in school-to-work transition pathways. We need new methodologies such as entrepreneurship to combat early school leaving and encourage youth participation in innovation processes.”
Salvatore Nigro, CEO of JA Europe, added: “Gen-E 2024 is a unique opportunity to showcase and celebrate the best of youth achievement. It also serves as a powerful call to action for the Italian G7 Presidency to take the lead on the youth agenda. We are here to to show what young people can achieve when given the opportunity to learn and shine.”
Representing Italy will be the Apulian mini-company Hitlocator JAof the 5^B class of the Jannuzzi Technical Institute of Andria. This team has developed a safety helmet for construction sites, equipped with localization and impact detection functions. The project, winner of the Best JA Mini-Enterprise Award at the Parma Entrepreneurship Championships, was chosen for its attention to a theme of social utility and the originality of the proposed solution.
Junior Achievement is the largest non-profit organization in the world dedicated to the economic and entrepreneurial education of young people. With a presence in 122 countries and a network of over 465,000 volunteers, JA reaches more than 10 million students each year. JA Italia, present since 2002, has trained over 340,000 young people in the last school year, enhancing their aptitudes and teaching them how to recognize opportunities.
