Three enterprising Milford students have won a Foróige Youth Entrepreneur Award for their unique book company.
L & M Books is the bright idea of Mulroy College students Millie McCourt, Livvy Curran and Lucy Van Ruiven, all aged 16.
They scooped the prize of best Social Enterprise for their inclusive interactive book for children between the ages of six and twelve. The book is creatively designed to help children understand hidden disabilities. One activity asks children to draw what they think each hidden disability looks like, so that they can express their different views of the world. Millie, Livvy and Lucy’s intended mission is to spread awareness of hidden disabilities in children. This idea comes from the fact that two members of the group live with different hidden disabilities.
The Foróige Youth Entrepreneur Awards celebrate young people who participated in the NFTE Youth Entrepreneurship Programme in schools, youth projects or alternative education providers right across Ireland.
Donegal was well-represented in the national final today.
Fairytale Frames, Abbey VS was a finalist in the Youth Entrepreneur of the Year category.
Football Savers at Mulroy College was in the top 10 for the Innovator of the Year prize.
There were two local finalists for the Social Entrepreneurs of the Year Award – Forget Me Not, Carndonagh Community School and Dimentuals, Abbey VS.
The four winners from this year’s competition were chosen from more than 6,000 young entrepreneurs from across Ireland who completed the NFTE programme this year through a series of local, county and regional heats before the National final.
Séan Campbell, CEO of Foróige, commented on this year’s young entrepreneurs “We’re amazed each year by the young entrepreneurs who participate in our NFTE Youth Entrepreneurship Programme, and this year is no different. These young people have gone above and beyond to showcase their innovation and problem solving skills. We’re so proud of what they’ve achieved throughout this year while taking part in the NFTE programme. So much of what we do in this programme is about encouraging young people to be brave, take a leap of faith and back themselves and their abilities. Whether it’s highlighting a gap in the commercial market that needs to be filled, tackling a social challenge or identifying a need that should be met for the neurodiverse, it’s remarkable work done by these teenagers. We can safely say, the future is safe in the hands of young entrepreneurs who are thriving and turning problems into solutions.”
Seán continued “We have been incredibly fortunate to receive Dormant Accounts funding through the Department of Education to continue to grow this fantastic programme, in addition to significant support from basis.point, JP Morgan and ActionCOACH. Funding for the new social enterprise category was received through the Department of Rural and Community Development and corporate support from. Over 6,000 young entrepreneurs took part this year making it the largest number ever to participate.”
