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Youth

Mary Kay Inc. Announces Third Annual World Series of Innovation Challenge

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

Mary Kay Inc., in partnership with Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE), has launched its third annual World Series of Innovation (WSI) challenge. The global competition invites young people aged 13-24 to put their critical thinking skills to the test and develop innovative solutions to address some of the world's most pressing challenges, in line with the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The WSI challenge kicked off on September 15, coinciding with World Clean Up Day, and focuses on UN SDG 14: Life Below Water, encouraging young entrepreneurs to design solutions to conserve and protect marine ecosystems and coastal communities.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Mary Kay Inc. World Series of Innovation challenge will award top prizes to the top three winners, announced in early 2023.
  • The competition invites young people aged 13-24 to develop innovative solutions to address UN SDG 14: Life Below Water.
  • The challenge encourages students to design a solution to further the conservation and/or protection of the world's marine ecosystems and coastal communities.
  • In its first year partnering with NFTE, Mary Kay sponsored a WSI challenge for UN SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production.
  • The 2021 WSI challenge focused on UN SDG 5: Gender Equality, prompting students to develop programs to promote workplace equality and ensure equal access to economic opportunity for women and girls.
  • Mary Kay's Global Oceans Conservation Challenge encourages young entrepreneurs to think big about water quality and develop sustainable solutions.
  • NFTE is a global non-profit organization that has trained thousands of teachers and educated over a million young people worldwide since its founding over 35 years ago.
  • The 2022 NFTE World Series of Innovation is presented by the Citi Foundation, with challenges sponsored by major corporations such as Mary Kay Inc., MetLife Foundation, and Zimmer Biomet.
  • This year's competition features sponsors such as Citi Foundation, MetLife Foundation, Mastercard, Bank of the West, and Link.

Statistics:

  • Over 1 million young people worldwide have been educated by NFTE since its founding over 35 years ago.
  • NFTE has trained over 10,000 teachers in entrepreneurship and business skills.
  • The 2022 NFTE World Series of Innovation features six challenges, with Mary Kay sponsoring the Global Oceans Conservation Challenge.
  • A diverse group of over 1,300 start-ups and small businesses have been mentored and supported by NFTE since its inception.
  • The top three winners of the 2022 NFTE World Series of Innovation challenge will receive financial prizes and mentorship opportunities.

Sources:

  • Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) website
  • Mary Kay Inc. press release on Business Wire
  • NFTE World Series of Innovation website
  • United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) website

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