Mary Kay Inc. calls on young entrepreneurs to tackle gender equality in the workplace

Mary Kay Inc., a leading enterprise in women’s entrepreneurship and empowerment, today unveiled the second edition of the World Series of Innovation (WSI) in partnership with the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE).

In her first year of cooperation with NFTE, Mary Kay sponsors the 2021 NFTE World Series of Innovation, an international educational endeavor that aims to encourage young people aged 13-24 to think critically and develop the ability to solve the most serious problems facing the modern world and contribute to implement the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), while shaping entrepreneurial attitudes.

The World Series of Innovation Challenge encourages young people from all over the world to submit innovative solutions related to Goal 5 of Sustainable Development: Gender Equality. The purpose of this assignment is to explore ways to promote equality in the workplace and ensure equal access to economic opportunities for women and girls. Before the COVID epidemic, decades of data showed an increase in the number of women in the labor market – even despite the persistent pay gap, more and more women entered the labor market each year. However, the pandemic job reduction has disproportionately affected women, and as of 2020 the climb to equality in employment has become even more challenging.

NFTE is a global non-profit education organization focused on educating young people in low-income communities about entrepreneurship. 

The World Series of Innovation (WSI) Challenge program invites you to take up company-sponsored challenges that relate to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Covering 100,000 students around the world, in 2020 NFTE recruited nearly 4,000 participants from all walks of life who submitted their ideas for the WSI Challenge, with nearly 350 students taking part in a Mary Kay-funded Target Challenge 12 Sustainable Development: Responsible consumption and production. The three projects awarded under the Mary Kay 2020 Challenge are:

• First place: Loop Tee Loop
The Loop Tee Loop is a sustainable clothing loop that connects lyocell textile factories with the recycling services of Metro Manila, Philippines.

• Second Place: SwagSwap
SwagSwap is an American social networking site that offers teenagers the opportunity to exchange clothes.

• Third place: Project DBrand
The DBrand Project is a unique service of removing markings from used uniforms so that they can be recycled in the US.

In addition to the World Series of Innovation, Mary Kay has supported the NFTE Entrepreneurship in Every School program by bringing students across the US and internationally to entrepreneurship through the curriculum; as well as sponsored the NFTE Regional Youth Entrepreneurship Challenges, in which students submit their business proposals to obtain seed capital under competitive conditions.

The World Series of Innovation NFTE 2021 competition is represented by the Citi Foundation and includes projects prepared by Bank of the West, Citi Foundation, Ernst & Young LLP (EY US), Mary Kay, Inc, Maxar Technologies, PIMCO and Saint-Gobain. The competitions started on September 15th, and applications should be submitted by December 15th. The qualifying procedure starts in January 2022. Finalists will be announced in February and winners on March 31.

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

Mary Kay Ash, one of the first women to break the so-called glass ceiling, more than 56 years ago she founded a cosmetics company to achieve three goals: create attractive opportunities for women, offer dazzling products and make the world a better place. From this dream, a billion-dollar company was born, working with millions of independent consultants and consultants in almost 40 countries. Mary Kay Inc. conducts scientific research that allows the creation of modern skin care cosmetics, color cosmetics and fragrances. Mary Kay works to empower women and their families by working with organizations around the world. The company focuses on supporting cancer research, helping victims of domestic violence, beautifying our surroundings and encouraging children to pursue their dreams. Mary Kay Ash’s vision lives on thanks to the company’s remarkable products. For more information, visit the Mary Kay website at www.marykayglobal.com

NFTE – Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship is an international non-profit organization dedicated to high-level entrepreneurship education for high school and high school students from less affluent communities, as well as offering programs for students and adults. This school year, the NFTE will reach 45,000 students in 25 US states with its programs and make its programs available in 20 other countries. Since our founding, we have organized educational programs for over a million students as part of school and after school activities, studies and summer camps, both on-site and online. For more information on how inclusive capitalism is promoted and how the next generations of diversified entrepreneurs are shaped, visit www.nfte.com.