£1Million challenge launched to boost youth enterprise

Nearly 70 companies – including Accenture, Yell.com and St Tropez – have signed up already and will be competing to raise the cash. The money will go towards supporting young entrepreneurs on The Trust’s Business Programme.

The battle commenced this week as the challenge was launched at Go Ape High Wire Forest Adventures across the country. Participants took to the trees for an action-packed team building adventure of walking rope bridges, crawling through wooden tunnels and zipping to the ground in order to tighten their team working skills and sharpen their senses for the national fundraising challenge.
Teams will then strive to come up with the most lucrative business idea and run their own businesses to raise money to change young lives.

Raef Bjayou and Claire Young, stars of The Apprentice and Prince’s Trust ambassadors, attended the launch. Raef said: “The fantastic thing about Million makers is that participants are not only honing their own entrepreneurial skills, but raising funds for entrepreneurs of the future that don’t have the financial means to get things off the ground. It really is a win-win situation”

Julian Barrell, director of fundraising, The Prince’s Trust said: “With Britain’s best business brains behind us, we can help more young people into business. Nurturing entrepreneurial talent is now more important than ever. We cannot let the Sir Alan Sugars of tomorrow be thwarted by the recession.”
Rebecca Mayhew, Go Ape Communications Director, said: “Go Ape is delighted to be hosting the launch events of Million Makers for a second year. Go Ape Corporate Days have been running for a number of years now and have proved a brilliant way for the Million Makers teams to get some team bonding in and start to plan their strategy. Teams can look forward to some treetime swinging through the canopy, wiping out at the bottom of zip wires and sharing in three hours of adventure. We hope that Go Ape will inspire our million makers to believe that money really can grow on trees if you are creative enough.”

Stuart Watson is a partner at Ernst & Young which has already signed up to Million Makers 2009. He said: “The Million Makers challenge provides personal development opportunities for our people including increased self confidence and motivation; developed communication and teaming skills; and networking opportunities.”

 Last year’s Million Makers challenge raised more than £500,000 to help disadvantaged young people into business.
 Million Makers 2009 is the largest employee fundraising initiative in the history of The Trust. The Business Programme has helped more than 70,000 young people into business since 1983 and needs £1million every month to continue its vital work.

 To sign-up to Million Makers or for more information, call 020 7543 7420.