Hip-hop pioneer and entrepreneur Russell Simmons will serve as the host of the Race to BE., the signature event of Global Entrepreneurship Week/USA.

The competition will focus on the genres of film, music and fashion and encourage young people to leverage their artistic abilities into entrepreneurial endeavors. Each competition will take place in its respective artistic center: Los Angeles (film), Austin (music) and New York (fashion).

Applications are being accepted for contestants--between the ages of 18 and 29--who are asked to submit samples of their existing creative work online at www.racetobeusa.com. 

The competition for the Best Technological Innovation is a unique competition in Serbia, which both promotes creativity and teaches participants how to break through to the market (www.inovacija.org). Also, it provides the participants with the necessary media attention and financial support.

The competition was organized in 2005, 2006 and 2007. During the three years 2747 participants organized in teams, and 877 innovations were registered. The best ones, judged by an extremely strict rating system, have been developed into business plans. The overall number of finished business plans during the three years amounts to 283, based on which 32 new companies have so far been founded.

The competition continues to promote business climate in Serbia, helping both the potential and existing entrepreneurs find their way from the idea to the market.

Learn more about Global Entrepreneurship Week/Serbia. 

With the recent addition of Honduras, the number of countries officially and fully participating in Global Entrepreneurship Week has climbed to seventy-five. Venezuela, Lebanon, Barbados, Egypt, Lithuania, and Serbia have also signed up to take part within the past two week as momentum continues to build around the world. 

The 21 regional chapters of Fundacion Paraguaya, Peace Corps Paraguay, and others will be working to make the Week a success at over 180 sites in Paraguay. Other events during the Week will include an essay contest and a web page contest award  hosted with cooperation from the private sector and USAID.

Stay tuned to the Paraguay page for more information. 

In Bulgaria, three major events are planned so far for the Week: an open classroom-style pilot program placing businesspeople with students in creative problem-solving and enterprising situations; a "Skills@Work" challenge designed to get young people aged 15-18 thinking innovatively while embracing the Junior Achievement tenet of learning by doing; and the annual national entrepreneurship competition in Sofia, Bulgaria for students under 12.

Stay tuned to the Bulgaria page for more information.

Global Entrepreneurship Week/China was officially announced recently by the Shanghai Technology Entrepreneurship Foundation for Graduates with a theme of "Unleashing Ideas, Enlightening China." More than one hundred people attended the launch, including renowned employers, entrepreneurs, entrepreneurial scholars and mentors, government officials and members of the broader community. During the launch festivities, Tang Min, Vice Secretary of the China Reform and Development Foundation, said, “It is necessary to build a platform for entrepreneurial education, plant the seed of entrepreneurship in the heart of youth.” At the end of the ceremony, the chair of the host organization, Ms. Yan Junqi, announced that the Week was officially launched.

Activities are planned in Beijing, Shanghai, Wuhan, Chengdu, Guangzhou, Hangzhou and Nanjing. More information will be posted soon to the China page. 

Entrepreneurs drive economic growth as all countries depend on the aspirations and ideas of their people to innovate, create jobs and prosper. Ever-faster means of communication and increasing ease of travel make it easier for entrepreneurs to start up and succeed on a global stage. But nations must do more than just rely on these trends. They need to unleash their citizens’ ideas to scale up enterprise. This means using tried-and-tested tools, like enterprise campaigns and education initiatives, to encourage people to think and act in enterprising ways: to spot opportunities, marshal resources, and turn their ideas into reality. Above all, it means engendering a ‘global mindset’ amongst budding entrepreneurs – in order that they think on a global scale, have global ambitions and make global connections.

The Make Your Mark campaign has prepared a briefing document that outlines a call to action on how various segments of society can help build an entrepreneurial culture.

In addition to thousands of activities being planned by partners, a few signature activities are designed to connect bright young minds across the globe.

• Unleash It!
  While there is no shortage of challenges facing the world today, countless ideas never come to the surface—leaving problems unsolved and opportunities missed—simply because no one stopped to consider them. Unleash It! uncovers these challenges—then links them to enterprising problem-solvers.
  
  Before we can unleash the ideas of the next generation of entrepreneurs on the challenges of today, we need your help in identifying those challenges – no matter how big or how small. Anyone can issue a challenge, e-mail your challenges to challenges[at]unleashingideas[dot]org
  
  
• Speed Network the Globe
  Networking is a skill that serves everyone—whether they ever consider starting an entrepreneurial venture or not. Organize a speed networking session in your community and enable local young people to sharpen their networking skills—talking to each other, local entrepreneurs, potential investors, community leaders, or anyone else interested in learning from--and sharing with--others. E-mail cspavin[at]unleashingideas[dot]org to learn more about what you can do to help network aspiring entrepreneurs.

• Watch the promo trailer
• Watch the full movie
• Sign up to receive a copy at no cost -- for universities, organizations, educators, students and parents around the world -- to inspire students of all ages.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown again voiced support for Global Entrepreneurship Week in an editorial promoting the need for greater UK/US relations in the Wall Street Journal. Brown stated, "I am proposing cooperation on enterprise, so that young business leaders in each country regularly conduct exchanges and learn from each other. 'Make Your Mark' – which champions entrepreneurship among young people in Britain – is linking up with the Kauffman Foundation in the U.S. to organize this November the first Global Entrepreneurship Week.

Read the full editorial in the Wall Street Journal

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Finally, create a member profile page on our site to learn more about people who are actively running activities during the Week.