Primary schools from Dungloe and Stranorlar have won big at this year’s Junior Entrepreneur Programme Awards where students work together to create original projects and launch businesses.
6th class students at Scoil Chróine, Dungloe, took home the Community Champions Award 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’ nesting boxes and ‘Stay-for-the-Tae’ bird feeders. They partnered with the Rosses Men’s’ Shed to learn carpentry skills. They sold their hand-crafted and painted products in the local community and made €1,500 profit.
The pupils made ‘Birdy Bungalows’ and ‘Stay-for-the-Tae’ bird feeders. They partnered with the Rosses Men’s’ Shed to learn carpentry skills.
John Mc Cready, Caolan Gillespie and Kayla Bonner from 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’ nesting boxes and ‘Stay-for-the-Tae’ bird feeders. They partnered with the Rosses Men’s’ Shed to learn carpentry skills. They sold their hand-crafted and painted products in the local community and made €1,500 profit.
Rachel Wallace, Ellie Docherty and Jack Gillespie from 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’ nesting boxes and ‘Stay-for-the-Tae’ bird feeders. They partnered with the Rosses Men’s’ Shed to learn carpentry skills. They sold their hand-crafted and painted products in the local community and made €1,500 profit.
Saffron Dixon, Owen Ward and Charlize Bonner from 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’ nesting boxes and ‘Stay-for-the-Tae’ bird feeders. They partnered with the Rosses Men’s’ Shed to learn carpentry skills. They sold their hand-crafted and painted products in the local community and made €1,500 profit.
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 Community Champions Awards recognises Junior Entrepreneur Programme classes who positively impact their community. Their activities at the school or community level are a reminder of what we can all achieve if we work together. The Community Champions award recognises the efforts of pupils who forge strong links, solve problems and make a positive impact through innovation, education and partnership at community level.
lucia Sweeney and Joey Amrein from 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’ nesting boxes and ‘Stay-for-the-Tae’ bird feeders. They partnered with the Rosses Men’s’ Shed to learn carpentry skills. They sold their hand-crafted and painted products in the local community and made €1,500 profit.
Teacher Hugh Gallagher from 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’ nesting boxes and ‘Stay-for-the-Tae’ bird feeders. They partnered with the Rosses Men’s’ Shed to learn carpentry skills. They sold their hand-crafted and painted products in the local community and made €1,500 profit.
Caoimhe Mc Gonnigle and Shay Glackin from 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’ nesting boxes and ‘Stay-for-the-Tae’ bird feeders. They partnered with the Rosses Men’s’ Shed to learn carpentry skills. They sold their hand-crafted and painted products in the local community and made €1,500 profit.
Chloe Boner from 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’ nesting boxes and ‘Stay-for-the-Tae’ bird feeders. They partnered with the Rosses Men’s’ Shed to learn carpentry skills. They sold their hand-crafted and painted products in the local community and made €1,500 profit.
Megan Shaw from 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’ nesting boxes and ‘Stay-for-the-Tae’ bird feeders. They partnered with the Rosses Men’s’ Shed to learn carpentry skills. They sold their hand-crafted and painted products in the local community and made €1,500 profit.
6th class student Evan McCafferty from St. Mary’s National School, Stranorlar took home the Bright Spark award.
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’.
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.
10,000 primary school students launched 300 businesses as part of the programme.
Joshi Murray from 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’ nesting boxes and ‘Stay-for-the-Tae’ bird feeders. They partnered with the Rosses Men’s’ Shed to learn carpentry skills. They sold their hand-crafted and painted products in the local community and made €1,500 profit.
Odhran Gallagher from 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’ nesting boxes and ‘Stay-for-the-Tae’ bird feeders. They partnered with the Rosses Men’s’ Shed to learn carpentry skills. They sold their hand-crafted and painted products in the local community and made €1,500 profit.
Marie Lynch, the co-founder of the Junior Entrepreneur Programme, said: “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.
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