Press Release

Contact: Heather Wilson

Phone: 510-763-9310 ext 12

Email:  info@geponline.org

Oakland Youth Entrepreneurs Win

International Entrepreneurship Competition

 Oakland, California, May 13, 2003: Global Education Partnership (G.E.P.) announced today that participants in its Entrepreneurship and Employment Training Program (EETP) at John C. Fremont High School, in Oakland, were awarded first prize at the Students for the Advancement of Global Entrepreneurship (SAGE) International Entrepreneurship Competition held May 9-13 in Kansas City, Mo.  After competing with 30 other schools for the California State SIFE championship, and winning for the second year in a row, the 12 member Fremont High School EETP team competed with teams from all over the world to win the International SAGE Championship in Kansas City.  In the finals Fremont High School narrowly edged out a team from Poland by a 6-5 vote. 

 To qualify to compete in the SAGE competition high school students are required to complete a business plan, start a business or entrepreneurship venture, integrate technology where practicable, concentrate on business ethics and social responsibility and complete at least one community outreach project.  Fremont’s SAGE presentation highlighted the entrepreneurship and service learning project BOMBAST, which earned international recognition last year for offering healthy, affordable alternatives to off-campus lunches to combat the poor nutritional habits of students; the establishment of a Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) center at the Melrose Library where students offered electronic tax-filing assistance and much-needed bilingual services to their low-income community; and B-SET, an academic support program to increase the graduation rate at Fremont High.

The Bay Area non-profit organization, Global Education Partnership, is responsible for the management and financial backing of the Fremont High program. G.E.P. coached Fremont High School participants through the year, teaching entrepreneurship, basic accounting and business skills through the EETP. Generous funding for G.E.P. programs from the Y&H Soda Foundation, the Richard and Rhoda Goldman Fund and the Schwab Foundation has enabled G.E.P. to provide services to students at Fremont High School and to hundreds of other low-income youth in the Bay Area.

G.E.P. Bay Area Coordinator, Heather Wilson said, "these students come from one of the Bay Area’s most resource-deprived schools. The Fremont team’s victory was truly inspirational. Their dedication, focus and leadership through out the year have been remarkable.  These kids deserved it."

About Global Education Partnership (G.E.P.)

Founded in 1994, G.E.P. is a 501 (c) (3) organization with headquarters in Washington, DC and divisions in the San Francisco Bay Area, Kenya, Guatemala, Tanzania, and Indonesia. G.E.P.’s mission is to provide access to educational resources that increase the capacity of young people to become employable and self-reliant in the global marketplace. Toward this goal, G.E.P. provides opportunities for vulnerable youth through the Entrepreneurship and Employment Training Program (EETP). This intensive program focuses on entrepreneurship, financial literacy, computer literacy, global awareness, community citizenship, and job-readiness skills. Instructors create experiential, interactive lessons that reinforce basic math and language ability, promoting student success in and out of the classroom.  G.E.P. appreciates the active participation of Fremont HS and SIFE, who share our commitment to fostering self-reliance in vulnerable youth.

About SAGE

SAGE is a project conceived, delivered and funded by the California State University, Chico Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) team (http://www.csuchico.edu/sage). SAGE is an international network that links secondary school student organizations to mentors from local universities and businesses. Its purpose is to advance global entrepreneurship in an ethical and socially-responsible manner. The mission of SIFE teams is to make a difference in their communities by teaching, practicing and learning the principles of free enterprise (http://www.sife.org).