The Department of Management and Marketing (DMM) at the Faculty of Business Administration and Economics (FBAE), Notre Dame University-Louaize (NDU), organized on December 16, 2017, the 3rd annual “Young Entrepreneur Showdown” (“YES-NDU”), which targets grade 10-12 students from different local schools and aims to identify and support the most creative and entrepreneurially-gifted children. YES-NDU is an entrepreneurial event that aims to familiarize young people with the realities of the business world by helping them build their managerial skills, unleash their creativity, and discover new ways to tackle opportunities in small and medium-sized enterprises.
The participating schools were:
- St. Joseph School (SJS), Kornet Chahwan;
- Collège des Frères Maristes Champville, Dik el-Mehdi;
- Antonine International School, Ajaltoun;
- Armenian Catholic Holy Cross Harboyan High School, Zalka;
- The EDUVATION Schools Network (composed of Beirut Annunciation Orthodox College, École des Trois Docteurs, École Zahrat el-Ihsan, Saint Mary's Orthodox College);
- College Notre Dame de Louaize, Zouk Mosbeh; and
- École Val Père Jacques, Bsalim.
Contestants attended a one-day workshop presented by faculty members at NDU who explained the competition requirements as well as the different essential disciplines needed to complete the business plan.
Divided into small teams, the contestants came up with a business idea, developed it, and presented it in front of a jury panel composed of Dr. Jennifer Abou Hamad, Georges Ghaleb, Dr. Souha Abdelnour Fahed, Joyce Menassa, Nohade Nasrallah, and Kamal Zakhour.
Students pitched their idea and the winners were selected based on predetermined criteria, such as feasibility of the project in Lebanon; adaptability to the local market; presentation skills; ethics; etc.
Following deliberations, the jury announced the following winners:
- First Prize: Antonine International School (AIS) - 100% scholarship for the first semester;
- Second Prize: College Notre Dame de Louaize (NDL) - 75% scholarship for the first semester; and
- Third Prize: College Notre Dame de Louaize (NDL) - 50% scholarship for the first semester.
This competition helped students learn and understand real-world business practices, such as leadership development, team building, financial management, communication, and business etiquette.
FBAE Chairperson at NDU Dr. Jennifer Abou Hamad said, “It is good to create awareness to show students that can use their creativity to help their country develop and the competition serves as a platform to enhance their innovative ability. In summary, the outstanding achievements in innovative awareness, practical ability, and creativity were prodigious.”