The Association of High School Students in Bosnia and Herzegovina and International Burch University have opened the largest high school entrepreneurship competition Start Me Up High School, which has 20 teams, i.e. 65 high school students from all over Bosnia and Herzegovina, who will present innovative ideas that solve a particular social problem.
The Burch Start Me Up High School competition aims to encourage high school students to engage in entrepreneurship, provide education and the opportunity to develop entrepreneurial skills through a series of different workshops, and the opportunity for students to compete and gain applied knowledge practically, and finally the opportunity to help them realize their ideas in the university incubator.
After registration, the participants started with the first exchanges of information about ideas that will contribute to our society, as well as sharing first contacts and making first friendships.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mersid Poturak, Rector of International Burch University, welcomed high school students to the first entrepreneurial university in BiH and emphasized: “Entrepreneurship is the future of our country and that is why we have adopted a concept that will lead us forward, that will create generations that will think critically, creatively and innovatively with a focus on young people who will remain in Bosnia and Herzegovina. ”
This is a socially responsible project of Burch University that aims to develop awareness among young people that change can be made in BiH and motivate them to stay in their home country and be the initiators of change and the BiH economy.
The fact that high school students need such projects was confirmed by the president of the Association of High School Students in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Azra Sorguč, who emphasized: ” Give us a chance to show our potentials and we will show them. The proof of that is the great response of high school students coming from very small and large areas of our country who applied for the competition.ˮ
With the same vision for retaining young people in BiH, support for the competition was provided by UNDP, BH Futures Foundation and Bit Alliance, and the Klix portal as a media partner.
Tatjana Vučić, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the BH Futures Foundation and Executive Director of Bit Alliance who are partners of this year’s competition, said: “You came up with the idea of changing Bosnia and Herzegovina and the world, and that’s why I am here to support you, your enthusiasm because you are different, you are the superheroes of tomorrow.ˮ
Mrs. Vučić also added that this competition will give them additional values, that they will learn a lot, experience first disappointments, but also successes, and in the future, they will find it easier to overcome any obstacles if they focus on education: “Education is the most important thing in your life, you are fortunate today because you do not have to leave Bosnia and Herzegovina to get a world education, it is in front of you at Burch University, ” Mrs. Vučić concluded.
“Be part of the solutions and changes we want to make for you and for us. Be a Unicorn from Bosnia and Herzegovina,” Emir Adžović, a UNDP private sector analyst, sent a message to high school students.
Tomorrow, the contestants will present their ideas and undergo a series of workshops such as creating a business and financial plan, marketing plan, and perfecting presentation skills all with the help of a mentor that will help them to better develop and present their idea in the finals.
The finale will be held on Sunday, January 19 at 1 pm when we will announce the winner of the Start Me Up High school competition in 2020.
This year’s participants come from different parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina: Gradačac, Goražde, Tuzla, Bijeljina, Banja Luka, Velika Kladuša, Mostar, Srebrenica, Foča, Visoko, Sarajevo, Zenica, Brčko, Bihać, Zavidovići, Novi Travnik.
