56 Nations Join Global Entrepreneurship Week

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--A first-ever worldwide entrepreneurship event that is expected to involve millions of young people is taking shape. Fifty-six countries have currently signed on to support and initiate activities for Global Entrepreneurship Week, Nov. 17-23, 2008. This inaugural Week will engage young people around the world to encourage them to pursue entrepreneurial ideas and opportunities through activities with the support of entrepreneurs, government officials, non-profit leaders and educators.

The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation in the United States and the Make Your Mark campaign in the United Kingdom, which previously organized week-long celebrations of entrepreneurship in the U.S. and UK, respectively, are bringing the spirit of enterprising behavior to young people through this worldwide event. Thousands of activities and a captivating, interactive Web presence will inspire, connect, mentor, inform and engage youth on an unprecedented scale.

“We live in the most entrepreneurial time in history. By helping young people seek new ways to approach entrepreneurial behavior – through new media and technologies that appeal to them – we will make the connections necessary to ensure greater global prosperity. Global Entrepreneurship Week is a big step in this direction,” said Carl Schramm, president of the Kauffman Foundation.

A focal point for the Week will be a series of events to be held on international, national and local levels that will involve young people in the many aspects of entrepreneurship. The Week is being sponsored globally by NYSE Euronext, IBM and Ernst & Young. Organizers expect more countries to sign on in coming months. A complete list of participating countries and organizations is available at www.unleashingideas.org.

“Entrepreneurship is the key to opening up global markets, driving economies and creating jobs and opportunities. With Global Entrepreneurship Week, we will invest in the young minds of both developed and developing nations, from the UK and the U.S. to Brazil, Peru, Uganda and Nepal,” said Paulo Veras, managing director of Endeavor Brazil. “Worldwide, young people will be unleashing their ideas in areas as diverse as fashion, sports, technology, science and new media. The possibilities are endless and the opportunity to motivate students to be self-starters and innovators is unsurpassed.“

Global Entrepreneurship Week

With the goal to inspire young people to embrace innovation, imagination and creativity, Global Entrepreneurship Week will encourage youth to think big, to turn their ideas into reality, and to make their mark. From Nov. 17-23, 2008, millions of young people around the world will join a growing movement to generate new ideas and to seek better ways of doing things. Thousands of activities are being planned in more than fifty countries from around the world. Global Entrepreneurship Week is: founded by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and the Make Your Mark campaign; sponsored by NYSE Euronext, IBM and Ernst & Young; and, supported by JA Worldwide, Endeavor, Entrepreneurs’ Organization, DECA, National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship, Young Americas Business Trust, Lisbon Council, YES - European Confederation of Young Entrepreneurs and Cartha. To learn more, visit www.unleashingideas.org.

Kauffman Foundation

The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation is a private nonpartisan foundation that works to harness the power of entrepreneurship and innovation to grow economies and improve human welfare. Through its research and other initiatives, the Kauffman Foundation aims to open young people's eyes to the possibility of entrepreneurship, promote entrepreneurship education, raise awareness of entrepreneurship-friendly policies, and find alternative pathways for the commercialization of new knowledge and technologies. It also works to prepare students to be innovators, entrepreneurs and skilled workers in the 21st century economy through initiatives designed to improve learning in math, engineering, science and technology. Founded by late entrepreneur and philanthropist Ewing Marion Kauffman, the Foundation is based in Kansas City, Mo. and has more than $2.4 billion in assets. More information is available at www.kauffman.org.

Make Your Mark

Make Your Mark is a national campaign to create an enterprise culture among young people in the UK. It does this by giving people in their teens and 20s the inspiration and opportunity to turn their ideas into reality, whether through starting businesses or social enterprises or by making an idea happen at work. It is funded by the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform and was founded by the four main UK business organizations – the British Chambers of Commerce, CBI, Federation of Small Businesses and Institute of Directors. Make Your Mark leads a campaign coalition of 25 national organizations from education, the voluntary sector, business and government.