August News /

YES Dominican Republic Network hosts National Youth Entrepreneurs Contest

The National Youth Entrepreneurs Contest (Concurso Nacional de Jóvenes Emprendedores -CONJE 2005) is the first of its kind and magnitude in the Dominican Republic.  

The objective of the CONJE Competition, which will be launched on October 2005, is to showcase young entrepreneurs and their enterprises as means of fostering interest and innovation in entrepreneurship among young people.  The contest is open to young entrepreneurs between the ages of 18 to 35 from all areas of the country.  Ten winners will be selected based on the viability and sustainability of their enterprise by a panel of individuals from youth and youth-serving organizations and government institutions within the country.   The winners will then receive assistance in securing a loan for the development of their enterprise.  They will also receive business training and continual technical assistance from the Young Americans Business Trust (YABT)/DR. 

The contest is supported by a variety of national actors including government, multilateral agencies, and civil society organizations.  The YES Dominican Republic Network is leading the initiative with financial support from the National Youth Secretary and with the involvement of the Global Foundation for Democracy and Development and the United Nations Association of the Dominican Republic, the Network’s host agency.  Also supporting the contest are the National Secretary of Superior Education, Science and Technology and the General Management of the National Secretary of Labor.

The National Youth Entrepreneurs Contest is anticipated to be an annual competition.  It is hoped that the number of interested participants will continue to increase as will the number of innovative enterprises led by youth in the Dominican Republic. 

For more information, contact Graciano Gaillard at ggaillard@unadr.org.