London 2012 sparks business ideas for tomorrow’s entrepreneurs
Over 56,000 secondary school and college students across the UK have come up with an entrepreneurial idea inspired by the Olympic and Paralympic values. This year’s Make Your Mark Challenge 2008 sparked off some powerful ideas, many focused on taking forward the legacy of London 2012 and using sport to tackle social issues.
The strongest entries competed in the National Final, held yesterday (Tuesday 9 December). The following ideas were awarded with prizes:
14-16 category:
Winner: Waldegrave School, London - My Little Athlete
My Little Athlete is a small hand held console for young children, enabling them to train a virtual athlete for the Olympic Games
Runner-up: Cedar Mount High School, Manchester - Beat Your Boredom
Cedar Mount High School came up with the idea to turn their old school building into a boxing academy, open to all the young people in their local area, to encourage participation in sport
Third Place: St Peter’s School, Cambridgeshire - ENable
A series of practical workshops and events in schools and colleges to educate able-bodied primary and secondary school pupils about the Paralympic Games
16-19 category:
Winner: John Hampden Grammar School, Buckinghamshire – True London Tours
True London Tours would train homeless people to provide an Olympic tour service in London. Working on stalls throughout London, these tour guides would provide free directions and priced tours of the main attractions
Runner-up: Wheatley Park School, Oxford – Value Bands
A range of seven collectable wristbands based upon the seven Olympic and Paralympic Values. The aim would be to collect all seven bands to become eligible for a special rainbow band and entry into a prize draw
Third Place: Highcliffe School, Dorset – Scan & Play
A swipe card aimed at students in Years 7-11, used to incentivise participation in sports. Each student would be given a personal card which they could use when participating in a sporting activity, in order to build up points. These could then be exchanged for prizes.
Other finalists included Cend, Message booths for the public to record personal messages for their chosen Olympic team or athlete, Joining of Hands - Joining of Nations, an idea to allow Visitors to the Olympic Games to be able to make an imprint of their hand in cement, or sign a flag or a bus, and Tile with Style, a company selling clay tiles which could be personalised, and then potentially placed on the ground, around the Olympic Stadium or on the walls of the arenas.
Several of the shortlisted ideas also encouraged young people to take up sport and keep fit. These included a centre for Parkour, also known as free running, and Mi-iBike which would use kinetic energy to play music while cycling.
During the action-packed final, the 21 shortlisted teams got the chance to record a radio advert about their idea. They then pitched to a top panel of judges, including Nick Fuller, Head of Education at LOCOG and young entrepreneur Leila Wilcox, the 25-year-old winner of Channel 4’s ‘Make Me a Million’. Winners got £3,000 for their school or college, and £100 in high street vouchers for each student. TV double act Matt Littler and Darren Jeffries, who until recently played Max and OB in popular soap Hollyoaks, presented prizes to the winning teams.
Hannah Bourne from Make Your Mark said: “These teen tycoons have turned the Olympic and Paralympic Values into serious business ideas, some of which might even become reality. Encouraging these enterprising minds could be one of the best legacies of London 2012.”
The Make Your Mark Challenge, designed to fire-up young people’s imaginations and foster team-work, launched on the first day of Global Entrepreneurship Week 2008 (17 November). It is one of the first projects to receive the London 2012 Inspire mark, which recognises excellent projects that contribute to the spirit of London 2012 and its legacy.
The Make Your Mark Challenge has been granted the Inspire mark because it contributes to the development of a skilled and enterprising future workforce and complements the aims of Get Set, the London 2012 education programme. Many of the young people who participate in the Challenge will be in the early stages of their careers by 2012 and the people who take forward the London 2012 legacy for future generations.
Nick Fuller, Head of Education at LOCOG, said: “Get Set, London 2012’s education programme, is about more than sport; it’s about challenging and inspiring young people to join in, to make a difference and to realise their potential in whatever context that may be. The innovative ideas generated in response to the Make Your Mark brief demonstrate the opportunity the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games has to engage enterprising young minds.”
Business Minister Pat McFadden, said: “I am really impressed by the enthusiasm of these young entrepreneurs and the creative ideas that they’ve put forward.
“I’m pleased to see that the Olympic spirit is inspiring the next generation of business brains. They will benefit from and develop the longer term business legacy of the Games, so getting them on board is vital.”
www.makeyourmarkchallenge.org.uk
Make Your Mark is the campaign to give people in the UK the confidence, skills and ambition to be enterprising - to have ideas and make them happen. It was founded by the four leading UK business membership organisations – the British Chambers of Commerce, the CBI, the Federation of Small Businesses and the Institute of Directors. It is supported by the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform and endorsed by the Prime Minister, Gordon Brown. www.makeyourmark.org.uk
The Inspire Programme
The Make Your Mark Challenge 2008 is part of London 2012’s Inspire Programme and carries the Inspire mark.
Whilst London 2012 has sport at its heart and London at the centre, it is more than London and more than sport. It is a Games for the UK and the rest of the world, for sport and culture, for volunteers and business. It wants to stimulate people to do more, to try new things and reassess what they are capable of. As part of its education programme, London 2012 is encouraging young people to go further and develop their entrepreneurial skills and talents.
The Inspire mark is an entirely new initiative, something that no previous Olympic Games or Paralympic Games has done. The Inspire mark has been awarded to a small number of outstanding projects and events which contribute to the London 2012 lasting legacy and reflect the values of the both the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Get Set, the London 2012 Education Programme
The London 2012 Education programme, Get Set, launched on 18 September 2008. With an interactive website at its core, and featuring a whole host of flexible resources for 3-19 year olds, Get Set will give children and young people across the UK the chance to learn about the Olympic and Paralympic Values and play their part in the 2012 Games.
Through the Get Set website (www.london2012.com/getset), schools, colleges and other learning providers who are demonstrating a student led commitment to the Olympic and Paralympic Values will have the chance to join a London 2012 network and receive awards, recognition and endorsement.
Matt Littler and Darren Jeffries
Matt Littler and Darren Jeffries are one of the most sought after new double acts in television. They were presented with the Best on Screen Partnership Award at British Soap Awards in May and Matt is also in the running for a National Television Award. Over the summer the duo presented Channel 4’s coverage of the V festival and the T4 programme Rock Corp. They are currently in talks for own TV series before end of 2008.
