Why I’m Such a Huge Fan of the FEONxGen Masterclass!

I joined FEO 10 years ago; my main reason was the work that FEO was doing with our future generation. My relationship with school education was not a positive one as a young person, so I wanted to help make this different for future generations.

FEO aims to create wealth and jobs in this region and the aim of FEO NxGen is to inspire young people and to sow an entrepreneurial seed. I think to inspire entrepreneurship and prepare youngsters for the working world should be important to everyone.

Attitude, resilience, and determination all play a part in success - this is the message FEO delivers to students. We all have a responsibility as a society to invest in the future and support and encourage the next generation.

We all agree that academic achievement should be strived for; but the format isn’t always for everyone. NxGen informs the students that business and entrepreneurship is accessible, regardless of gender, academic achievement, and age.

Younger generations can grasp opportunities, to become the next business leaders, we need them to help grow the economy and to create an environment in which they are proud to live and proud to raise their families in the future.

Human beings come in many guises, we all have different needs, abilities, and ambitions. FEO believes that some young people may be ‘left behind’ by academia and these might be the young people who will thrive in the entrepreneurial world.

FEO volunteers go into schools and bring business theory to life to create interest and engagement. Entrepreneurs have a range of life and business skills; it is in every school or college’s interest to collaborate with FEO, a group of business people with invaluable knowledge and experience to share.

The NxGen Masterclass

The FREE FEO Business Masterclasses covers a range of key skills such as finance, marketing, people, and relationship building. Our volunteers describe inspirational entrepreneurial stories, (warts and all). The students ultimately present business plans and present them to FEO members and their peers.

The day starts quietly with apprehensive students, but always ends with an amazing atmosphere, and most importantly young people who now have an interest in starting their own business!

Our programme is unique as we share individual stories. For example, my presentation about marketing in one school might be very different from another volunteers’ session in another school. We like to keep it fresh and interesting!

In one school we were pre-warned about a young woman with challenging behaviour. Yet that young person ended up staying in at break-time to work on her presentation, she was engrossed, and had seriously engaged. The teachers were visibly surprised about the way she had bought into the entrepreneurial world! She reminded me of myself at her age.

Personally, I continue to volunteer and lead NxGen because of this excellent work which allows people like this young person, like me, to be enlightened and discover their options.

FEO NxGen has reached over 3000 students since 2020, which I am sure helped us achieve the Queens Award for Voluntary Service in 2021. Our volunteers share a passion to create a generation of budding entrepreneurs to invest in this fantastic region. We are all parents, grandparents, or have relations who are in the teaching profession, and we can all help by spreading the FEONxGen word!