Mary Kay Challenges Global Youth to Address SDG 14: Life Below Water in Third Annual Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship World Series of Innovation Challenge

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The Global Competition celebrates Youth Entrepreneurship and the Power of Innovative Thinking

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DALLAS — Mary Kay Inc., a leading corporate advocate of women’s empowerment and entrepreneurship, has announced its third annual World Series of Innovation (WSI) challenge in partnership with the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE). The global competition invites young people ages 13-24 to test their critical thinking skills and take part in solving some of the biggest challenges facing humanity today to advance the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs ).

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@MaryKayGlobal kicks off World Cleanup Day/Intl. Coastal Clean Up Day sponsoring @NFTE World Series of Innovation. Global youth are challenged to address SDG 14: Life Below Water. Winning solutions will be announced in early 2023. #coastalcleanup #sdg14

Mary Kay’s WSI challenge will begin on September 15 in conjunction with World Clean Up Day. The Mary Kay challenge encourages young entrepreneurs to submit innovative solutions to meet UN SDG 14: Life Below Water. Specifically, students are challenged to design a solution to further conserve and/or protect the world’s marine ecosystems and coastal communities.

“All life on Earth began and depends on our oceans. Water is the most important resource on our planet, and it’s important that we not only respect it, but do our part to protect it,” said Deborah Gibbins, Chief Operating Officer for Mary Kay Inc. “The next generation of global thinkers and leaders is already addressing these critical areas of concern and leading conservation efforts. We are excited to see how the world’s youth can help advance ecosystems and biodiversity conservation around the world.”

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In its first year of partnership with the NFTE World Series of Innovation in 2020, Mary Kay sponsored a WSI challenge for UN SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production. Young entrepreneurs are encouraged to design a product, service or initiative that promotes the reuse or upcycling of textiles. In 2021, Mary Kay sponsored a second WSI challenge to address UN SDG 5: Gender Equality. Students are tasked with developing programs to promote equality in the workplace and ensure equal access to economic opportunity for women and girls.

“The Mary Kay Global Oceans Conservations Challenge encourages our young WSI competitors to think critically about water quality,” said Dr. JD LaRock, President and CEO of NFTE. “In classrooms, students learn that water is essential to a healthy ecosystem. Through experiences like WSI, however, they become empowered to preserve that resource. They can think of ways to conserve marine life, protect the oceans, secure affordable access to clean drinking water, protect water resources from pollution, address overconsumption, or if not to mention help sustain our ecosystem for future generations. That is powerful.”

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NFTE is a global educational non-profit dedicated to bringing the power of entrepreneurship to low-income communities. Since its establishment more than 35 years ago, NFTE has trained thousands of teachers and educated more than one million young people worldwide. Every fall, NFTE launches a new set of challenges for the WSI competition and invites corporate sponsors to address the UN SDGs. The 2022 NFTE World Series of Innovation is presented by the Citi Foundation and features challenges sponsored by Mary Kay Inc., MetLife Foundation, Mastercard, Bank of the West, Link, Maxar, Ernst & Young, LLP (EY), ServiceNow and Zuora. The top three winners will be announced in early 2023.

For more information on the World Series of Innovation and all challenges, visit https://innovation.nfte.com/.

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About Mary Kay

One of the original glass ceiling breakers, Mary Kay Ash founded her dream beauty company in 1963 with one goal: to enrich women’s lives. That dream has grown into a multibillion-dollar company with millions of independent sales force members in nearly 40 countries. As an entrepreneurship development company, Mary Kay is committed to empowering women on their journey through education, mentorship, advocacy, networking, and innovation. Mary Kay is committed to investing in the science behind beauty and manufacturing cutting-edge skincare, color cosmetics, nutritional supplements, and fragrances. Mary Kay believes in enriching lives today for a sustainable tomorrow, partnering with organizations from around the world committed to promoting business excellence, supporting cancer research, advancing gender equality, protecting survivors from domestic abuse, making our communities better, and encouraging kids to follow their dreams. Learn more at marykayglobal.com, find us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn, or follow us at Twitter.

See the source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220915005847/en/

Contacts

Mary Kay Inc. Corporate Communications
marykay.com/newsroom
972.687.5332 or [email protected]

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