Skills@Work Challenge - Novi Sad; Master Centar, February 24th 2010

On 24th of February, in Master Centre, in Novi Sad, Junior Achievement Serbia in cooperation with British Council (sole sponsor of the event) organized 3rd Skills@Work Challenge for over 80 JA high school students who come from Futog, Backa Topola, Kikinda, Sombor and Zrenjanin.  The topic for this challenge was social entrepreneurship (the other 2 focused on traditional entrepreneurial ventures) where 17 teams competed for the top business plan.

Business mentors / volunteers for the Skills@Work Challenge in Novi Sad came from Erste Bank, the Serbian Business Leaders Forum (coordinated by Smart Kolektiv), Adizes, Group 484, ProConcept, Balkan Idea, and “Work and Travel in the US.”  

The jury for this event consisted of representatives: Mr. Andrew Glass, Director of British Council, Mrs. Maury Wray Bridges, Team Leader for USAID’s Preparedness Planning and Economic Security Program (PPES), Mr. Sinisa Cado, USAID Serbia Mission, Mrs. Dijana Petrovic, ITM group, and Mrs. Ljiljana Petkovic, Master Centar in Novi Sad.

Team “Together from 7 to 77” (Zajedno od 7 do 77) won first place, as their social entrepreneurship business plan pairs up help from children and youth who grew up without a family and elderly people who are in need of assistance.  Winning team members are: Jovan Radojcin, Imre Biro and Biljana Basta from Economic-trade high school in Kikinda, and Milan Stojakovic from Agricultural high school in Futog.  Second place went out to team “Quercetin Revolution” with their idea – hand lotions, face creams made from raspberry leaves (Serbia’s natural resource) that block UV rays, where their product will be handled and sold by group of people (55 and older) who just lost their jobs and are close to pension. Team “Moto Magnet” won third place with their idea to produce magnetic motors that generate electric energy (environmental friendly, cost effective, aids rural areas).

British Ambassador to Serbia, Stephen Wordsworth, along with Mike Harvey, USAID Serbia Mission Director, awarded the prizes to the top 3 teams of British Council’s Social Entrepreneurship Skills@Work challenge.