Mary Kay Challenges Global Youth to Address SDG 14: Life Below Water in Third Annual Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship World Series of Innovation Challenge
15.9.2022 18:05:00 EEST | Business Wire | Press release
Mary Kay Inc., a leading corporate advocate of women’s empowerment and entrepreneurship, announces its third annual World Series of Innovation (WSI) challenge in partnership with Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE). The global competition invites young people ages 13-24 to put their critical thinking skills to the test and get involved in solving some of the biggest challenges humanity faces today to advance the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220915005847/en/
Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship an international nonprofit organization providing entrepreneurship training and educational programs to middle and high school students, college students, and adults (Graphic: Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship)
Mary Kay’s WSI challenge kicks off September 15 in conjunction with World Clean Up Day. The Mary Kay challenge encourages young entrepreneurs to submit innovative solutions to address UN SDG 14: Life Below Water. Specifically, students are challenged to design a solution to further the conservation and/or protection of the world’s marine ecosystems and coastal communities.
“All life on Earth began in and depends on our oceans. Water is the most valuable resource on our planet, and it’s essential 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 are already addressing these critical areas of concern and spearheading conservation efforts. We are excited to see how the world’s youth can help to advance ecosystems and biodiversity conservation globally.”
In its first year partnering 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 were encouraged to design a product, service or initiative that promoted the reuse or upcycling of textiles. In 2021, Mary Kay sponsored its second WSI challenge to address UN SDG 5: Gender Equality. Students were tasked with developing programs to promote workplace equality and ensure equal access to economic opportunity for women and girls.
“Mary Kay Global Oceans Conservations Challenge dares our young WSI competitors to think big about water quality,” said Dr. J.D. LaRock, President and CEO of NFTE. “In classrooms, students learn that water is fundamental to a healthy ecosystem. Through experiences like WSI, however, they become empowered to sustain that resource. They can ideate ways to look after marine life, safeguard oceans, secure affordable access to clean drinking water, protect water resources from pollution, address overconsumption, or otherwise help preserve our ecosystem for generations to come. That’s powerful.”
NFTE is a global educational non-profit focused on bringing the power of entrepreneurship to low-income communities. Since its founding more than 35 years ago, NFTE has trained thousands of teachers and educated well over a 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 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/.
About Mary Kay
One of the original glass ceiling breakers, Mary Kay Ash founded her dream beauty company in 1963 with one goal: enriching women’s lives. That dream has blossomed 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 dedicated 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 focusing on promoting business excellence, supporting cancer research, advancing gender equality, protecting survivors from domestic abuse, beautifying our communities, and encouraging children to follow their dreams. Learn more at marykayglobal.com, find us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn, or follow us on Twitter.
To view this piece of content from cts.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220915005847/en/
Contact information
Mary Kay Inc. Corporate Communications
marykay.com/newsroom
972.687.5332 or media@mkcorp.com
About Business Wire
For more than 50 years, Business Wire has been the global leader in press release distribution and regulatory disclosure.
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
Behind the Stage Lights: How Students Learned to Trust Their Voices with Doha Debates14.9.2026 16:40:00 EEST | Press release
During high school years in Model United Nations, Dahlia Al-Ansari learned to argue on behalf of a country she was assigned to represent. But when Doha Debates invited her to join a town hall debate in Toronto this July, she faced an unfamiliar challenge: sharing her own beliefs about a timely issue. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260914150232/en/ Students from Qatar, Canada and Mexico during their visit to the University of Toronto as part of the Doha Debates Town Hall experience in Canada. (Photo: AETOSWire) An 18-year-old biological sciences student at Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar, Al-Ansari hadn’t traveled to defend a predetermined position. Instead, she discovered that she was there to think critically, express her own viewpoint and remain open to diverse perspectives. This shift required her to navigate uncharted waters, but “I’m happy that it did,” she says. “It’s showing me the importance of sp
Matt Shafer Joins Golub Capital as Head of Golub Equity Continuation Partners14.9.2026 16:30:00 EEST | Press release
Golub Capital (“the Firm”) today announced the appointment of Matt Shafer as Managing Director and Head of the Firm’s GP-led private equity secondaries strategy, Golub Equity Continuation Partners (“GECP”). In this role, he will be responsible for leading the continued growth and development of the strategy and helping expand the Firm’s equity investment capabilities. Matt will work closely with Greg Cashman, Vice Chair and Co-Head of Golub Capital’s Sponsor Finance practice, to expand Golub Capital’s activity in this growing market. Shafer brings nearly three decades of global experience as an investor, financier and advisor working with private equity firms. He was most recently Head of Capital Solutions and U.S. Private Equity at Northleaf Capital Partners. In this role, Shafer helped lead the firm’s private equity investment activities, including secondaries, co‑investments and structured capital. Prior to Northleaf, he was Partner and Head of Americas Private Equity at Vision Capi
HealthCap Invests in AMRA Medical to Accelerate Global Growth in Quantitative MRI14.9.2026 16:19:00 EEST | Press release
AMRA Medical today announced an investment from HealthCap, one of Europe’s leading life science venture capital firms. This milestone marks a significant step in AMRA’s growth, underscoring market confidence in the company’s vision to transform the measurement and understanding of muscle and fat. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260914838191/en/ HealthCap Invests in AMRA Medical to Accelerate Global Growth in Quantitative MRI HealthCap’s backing comes as quantitative MRI gains vital importance in understanding how fat distribution and muscle composition influence disease, treatment response, and patient outcomes. Built on over 15 years of research, AMRA’s proprietary methods move beyond conventional metrics—like weight, and BMI and muscle function tests—to provide the standardized, automated data from advanced muscle and fat imaging necessary for modern clinical research. With its deep scientific expertise and
Morgan Stanley Inclusive & Sustainable Ventures Announces 2026 Global Cohort of Innovators14.9.2026 16:00:00 EEST | Press release
Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) today announced the 2026 global cohort of its Inclusive & Sustainable Ventures (MSISV). This year’s cohort includes 20 startups and four nonprofits across the Americas and Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) participating in the firm's five-month accelerator program designed to help early-stage innovators develop and scale their impact. Selected from thousands of applications, the 24 organizations will receive a $150,000 equity investment, or grant funding for nonprofits, as well as access to a curated curriculum, networking opportunities and office space. Founders will work closely with a dedicated MSISV team, Entrepreneurs in Residence and senior Morgan Stanley mentors. Following the five-month accelerator program, the cohort will present at a global showcase and demo day in February 2027. MSISV is focused on advancing solutions in four thematic areas where the firm sees significant potential for scale and measurable impact: Environment, Health & Wellb
Textron Aviation and Merlin Introduce Cessna SkyCourier UX Concept Aircraft14.9.2026 15:00:00 EEST | Press release
Textron Aviation Inc., a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company, and Merlin, Inc. today introduced a concept Cessna SkyCourier UX™ aircraft that combines Textron Aviation’s proven Cessna SkyCourier platform with Merlin’s aircraft-agnostic software solution for autonomous aviation. Revealed at the Air, Space & Cyber Conference, the concept explores a new cost-efficient and scalable approach to addressing logistical challenges with supplying forces dispersed across contested operational environments when traditional supply routes are constrained, vulnerable or otherwise unavailable. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260914611105/en/ The Cessna SkyCourier UX concept explores autonomous resupply operations for dispersed forces operating in contested environments “Military planners are increasingly focused on how to sustain forces across distributed and contested operational environments,” said Bob Gibbs, vice president, D
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom
