Two innovative projects from Donegal schoolchildren have picked up awards in the Junior Entrepreneur Programme.
10,000 Irish primary school children launched 300 classroom businesses this year as part of the programme.
6th Class, Scoil Chróine in Dungloe won a prize with their JEP business, Aisling na nÉan (A Bird’s Dream).
6th Class, Scoil Chróine, Dungloe, Co. Donegal, Junior Entrepreneur Programme participants with their JEP business, Aisling na nÉan (A Bird’s Dream).
The pupils made ‘Birdy Bungalows’ and ‘Stay-for-the-Tae’ bird feeders. They partnered with the Rosses Men’s’ Shed to learn carpentry skills. They made and hand painted a very attractive range of bird feeders and nesting boxes in the local community and made €1,500 profit.
With the support of their class teacher, Hugh Gallagher and guided by business mentors including Brian O’Donnell from O’Donnell’s DIY & Garden Centre, and Ciaran McCann and Shaun Doogan from Re-Act Productions the class produced a winning JEP business.
The Bright Spark award winner in the All-Island awards was Evan McCafferty, 6th Class St. Mary’s National School, Stranorlar.
The Bright Spark Award is the only award presented to an individual pupil. It recognises the creativity of individual pupils who pitch novel ideas that are either too complex or too demanding to become the class business.
Evan designed an electric boot cleaner called Boot Doc. It is a multi-sport boot cleaner ideal for sports clubs and schools – or wherever muddy boots are a problem. With the help of his classmates, Evan went on to construct a fully operational Boot Doc.
Marie Lynch, the co-founder of the Junior Entrepreneur Programme, said that “JEP has become a rite of passage for children in primary schools before they move on to secondary school.” “The class develops a lasting bond by working together and combining their talents to experience real-world success. For many, it is the highlight of their primary school years”.
Enterprise Ireland has supported JEP since 2020 under its Primary Schools Entrepreneurship Initiative, underlining the vital role of entrepreneurship in shaping Ireland’s future and the commitment to fostering an entrepreneurial culture from an early age.
