Young person from Louth reaches Foróige NFTE final

One young person from Louth was among the finalists of the Foróige Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship Programme (NFTE) ‘Youth Entrepreneur of the Year Awards 2024 last week.

The closely-fought national final held on Thursday, saw the top eight young entrepreneurs in the ‘Best Business’ category have the opportunity to pitch their business to an expert panel of judges from some of Ireland's leading companies, as they battled it out to be crowned Foróige NFTE ‘Youth Entrepreneur of the Year 2024’.

The finalists included Sirin Farina from Scoil Uí Mhuirí in Dunleer, with her business, Buzzy Balm. Buzzy Balm is a four ingredient organic, all-natural homemade lip balm that prides itself on avoiding the use of vaseline, unlike many other lip balms on the market.

Sirin's sustainable approach ensures that every ingredient used in her products is “not only good for your lips but also for the environment. With Buzzy Balm, you can enjoy nourished lips without compromising your values.”

Stick It by Annamai Condon (16) and Clodagh Desmond (16), from Loreto Secondary School, Clonmel, Co. Tipperary were announced as the overall winner at the ceremony held at Richmond Barracks, Dublin.

Stick It won the title after competing against over 7,000 young entrepreneurs from all over Ireland through a series of local, county, regional and semi-finals, with a total of 186 local competitions taking place, leading to 30 regional finals. 

Each young person participating in the final completed the Foróige Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) Programme, which involves approximately 40 hours of learning and includes the facilitation of a number of interactive sessions that enable young people to come up with a business idea, develop their product/service, design a business plan and trade in the real world.  

Speaking at the event Odhrán O’Mahony, Chairperson of Foróige, said; “We know from research, and from countless testimonials from teachers, parents, youth workers and most importantly from young people themselves, that the skills, confidence and experience they gain from being involved in NFTE is often life changing.

"It lights a spark that changes the way young people think about themselves and their own capability that is quite remarkable. It's a spark that, once lit, burns continuously through their lifetime so that they can do more, be more and achieve more."