The team of students from the Tiberiu Popoviciu Informatics High School won the grand prize of the Cluj semi-final of the Marathon for Entrepreneurship Education, the National Confederation for Women's Entrepreneurship (CONAF) announced on Friday.
According to the cited source, Babes Bolyai University in Cluj Napoca hosted, on April 2, the semi-final of the "Marathon for Entrepreneurship Education", an event dedicated to high school students from the county, who had the opportunity to discover their vocation and test their business ideas and learn directly from experienced entrepreneurs.
The event is part of the homonymous national program organized by CONAF, in partnership with the Ministry of Education, the West University of Timisoara, the Financial Supervisory Authority and the National Association of Entrepreneurs, with the objective of stimulating the entrepreneurial spirit among young people, the cited source specifies.
"Over 300 high school students from 4 educational institutions in 2 localities went through an intensive educational program, designed to develop their entrepreneurial spirit and help them discover their vocation. Of these, 37 students, gathered in 8 teams, had the courage to present their vision of the future in front of a jury of professionals familiar with economic challenges, but also an audience of 300 students and teachers. Under the guidance of 12 volunteer entrepreneurs, these young people demonstrated their creativity, perseverance and desire to build the world of tomorrow," the press release states.
The Vision Connect team, made up of five students from the Tiberiu Popoviciu High School of Informatics in Cluj, coordinated by teacher Floarea Rusa, came in first place, while the Mak Agro Industries team, made up of six students from the Tiberiu Popoviciu High School of Informatics, under the guidance of teacher Floarea Rusa, came in second place. At the same time, the Vizzy Lens team, made up of six students from the Avram Iancu Theoretical High School, coordinated by teacher Ramona Trif, came in third place.
According to the cited source, the team ranked first received a prize worth 3,000 lei, the one in second place was awarded 2,000 RON, while the team in third place was rewarded with 1,000 RON. The teams ranked in the first two positions will represent Cluj County in the final in June, the document also states.
"The fact that a team that participated in the semi-final of last year's Entrepreneurship Education Marathon ended up supporting four national and international pitches, obtaining a grant of 50,000 euros to launch their own application, unequivocally validates the mission of this program: to generate a real buzz among young people. It is more than an educational initiative - it is a vocational validation, a platform for personal and professional transformation. Entrepreneurship is not about perfect formulas, but about courage, resilience and the ability to build in the midst of uncertainty. And the young people in this program learn exactly this: that progress does not come from comfort, but from confronting the unknown. What constantly impresses me even now after three editions is the way in which this experience does not remain individual. It becomes contagious. The students carry forward the values discovered: in the family, in their groups, in the community. This is how tomorrow's leaders are born - not by imposition, but by inspiration. And the semi-final in Cluj gave us a clear indication: the next generation thinks in terms of technology, sustainability and impact. Almost every project presented had a tech component. It is clear: they do not just look to the future, they build it," declared Cristina Chiriac, president of CONAF, quoted in the press release.
In the opinion of the prefect of Cluj County, Maria Forna, the capacity of a county to develop sustainably depends fundamentally on the quality of education and the civic and entrepreneurial spirit of the young generation.
"What we saw today at the semi-final of the Entrepreneurship Education Marathon confirms that in Cluj there is a resource of intelligence, initiative and determination that we have a duty to support. Entrepreneurship education offers young people the necessary tools to understand the systems around them, to generate innovative solutions and to build, with lucidity and passion, the future in which they will live. Cluj has all the assets to become a regional pole of excellence in education and innovation. And this marathon is one of the concrete proofs that we are already on this path," mentioned Maria Forna.
Marinela Marc, General School Inspector, ISJ Cluj, argues that entrepreneurial education, integrated early in the educational process, offers young people a way of looking at the world: with initiative, with responsibility and with a real understanding of the dynamics of the labor market. "It is essential that students be solution creators, strategic thinkers and decision-makers in their own lives. The Entrepreneurship Education Marathon is a model of good practice: it connects students with economic reality and offers them a safe framework in which to experiment, make mistakes, learn and grow," Marinela Marc stated.
Andreea Maris Porumb, vice president of CONAF Cluj and coordinator of the county-level program, mentioned that "entrepreneurship often begins with a simple question: How can I do things better?" "From there begins the process by which challenges become opportunities, and the courage to explore new ideas opens paths that lead much further than you would have dared to initially believe. In an economy in constant transformation, the ability of young people to think strategically, to take calculated risks and to generate innovative solutions becomes a defining asset. In Cluj, I saw young people who do not wait for the future to happen to them, but challenge it. And for me, as an entrepreneur and local leader, this is the strongest signal that we are on the right track," said Andreea Maris Porumb.
The ''Entrepreneurship Education Marathon'' is taking place this year in 27 counties, with the finals to be organized in June, in Bucharest.
CONAF was created as a result of the need to create a modern, sustainable and equitable entrepreneurial culture, not only for female entrepreneurship, but also for the entire business environment. CONAF has 30 branches, 2 federations, 12 employers' associations, 38 associations and over 5,500 companies, over 245,000 employees.
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