INSPIRING YOUNG TALENT: Global Entrepreneurship Week returns to Hull and East Yorkshire November 16-20
By Rick Lyon, Co-Editor
Global Entrepreneurship Week returns to Hull and East Yorkshire this month.
The week is an annual movement that celebrates and empowers new founders – especially those who face structural barriers or who may have never considered the opportunities and possibilities of entrepreneurship.
For nearly two decades, Global Entrepreneurship Week has helped unlock entrepreneurship as a pathway to problem-solving, economic participation and prosperity in communities beyond traditional start-up hubs.
Every year, more than 10 million people participate in over 40,000 events in 200 countries that expand access to the skills, networks, capital and collaboration founders need to build successful businesses.
In Hull and East Yorkshire, the week is led by the Hull and East Yorkshire Youth Enterprise Partnership, which will be marking 23 years of involvement celebrating youth entrepreneurship and enterprise skills with a series of events between November 16-20 under the umbrella theme of ‘Entrepreneurs Thrive Here’.
It will feature activities every day of the week ranging from conferences and challenges for young people in education and the return of the Badgers Sett Enterprise Challenge, the brainchild of former BBC Apprentice star Ruth Badger in which young people from primary school to those set up in business get to pitch their enterprising idea.
Aspiring young entrepreneurs will also be celebrated at THUD Yorkshire and the annual Hull and East Yorkshire Youth Enterprise Awards.
There will also be a primary school and secondary school enterprise skills conference at Hull’s Guildhall, as well as the Adam Corbally Video Enterprise Challenge for aspiring young entrepreneurs from Hull and East Yorkshire, South Tyneside and Scarborough.
The end of the week will see Lord Sonny Leong CBE, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, visit the city to meet young entrepreneurs from Hull and East Yorkshire who have received support from the Making Changes for Careers (MC4C) programme and the John Cracknell Youth Enterprise Bank (JCYEB) and join up with Emma Hardy MP at the Primary Enterprise Day in the Guildhall.
UNLOCKING POTENTIAL: Aspiring young people will be celebrated this month
Ross Bennett, chair of Hull and East Yorkshire Youth Enterprise Partnership, said: “Over the years, Hull and East Yorkshire has always demonstrated a commitment to engaging with enterprising young people and sharing good practice with colleagues across the UK and the rest of the world.
“I am delighted that our youth enterprise eco-system continues to advocate the benefits of entrepreneurship and enterprise skills to local communities now via Elevate @ The Mark Jones MBE Centre, as well as across the world via the Commonwealth Partnership.
“We are also delighted that Lord Sonny Leong CBE will be visiting the city to meet young entrepreneurs and representatives of the Microbusiness Alliance.”
Liz Barclay, the former Small Business Commissioner and now Patron of the JCYEB, added: “Global Entrepreneurship Week in Hull and East Yorkshire serves as an opportunity to celebrate and spotlight young entrepreneurs, inform policymakers and practitioners with new insights, expose young people to the path of entrepreneurship, and facilitate access to finance and resources to help young entrepreneurs start and grow.
“It is inspirational in the way it supports young entrepreneurs globally and we look forward to doing likewise with local businesses as our current and future young entrepreneurs and enterprising young people in schools are the building blocks of our future success as a country.
“This we are also delighted to have appointed three new youth enterprise ambassadors, Alex Spark and Rand Nessif of Heuro Studios, and Kai Ingram of Musefuze Studios. All three have received financial support from the JCYEB and receive support from Hull City Council’s fantastic MC4C programme"
Global Entrepreneurship Week in this area is supported and sponsored by Engaging Education, T Arran Photography, C4DI, the JCYEB, The Hull Story, Jordan Smith Mortgage & Protection Advisor, Design Over Technology, Enterprise Days, East Riding Council, Hull City Council, Yorkshire in Business and Crossing Paths CIC in South Tyneside.
It will also benefit two charities, Action for Ashley and Joy for Joel – two young people with Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
Further information is available via www.gewhull.co.uk and by following the hashtags for the week, #GEWHull #GEWUK #GEW2026 #EntrepreneursThriveHere.