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Mark Tomasz - 23, Inglewood, NSW |
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Initiative Name: APEC Young Leaders Forum, Monterrey, Mexico 2002
Business Name: Enterprise Network for Young Australians (ENYA)
Mark evaluates his experience of the APEC Young Leaders & Entrepreneurs Forum in Mexico, which sparked the establishment of ENYA.
Q1 Why did you do this program/ enter this award/etc? My involvement in APEC was due to my business experience working for a large organisation and prior history as Australia's Commonwealth of Nations Youth Representative. Q2 Was there a particular challenge you faced in your business that you thought it would help with? And did it help you?
The forum provided an excellent opportunity to see programs that were involving young business people and entrepreneurs in the Asia Pacific region. This knowledge helped to establish the Enterprise Network for Young Australians (ENYA). Q3 Tell us the positives and the negatives of the initiative?
Like all forums, there was a lot of talk in a short space of time. I tried to take as much out of it as possible by noting down initiatives and ideas that were successful in other APEC countries. It was also excellent to talk to other young business people. The only negative was that there wasn't enough time! Q4 Do you think the program is suitable for young people, or needs more of their input in the design?
The yearly APEC youth activities are definitely suitable for young people. However, there should be a mandatory yearly meeting held for young business people/entrepreneurs. For instance, after the Mexico Forum in 2002, Thailand in 2003 is only holding a Youth Camp this year! Q5 How has the initiative affected your business/biz idea or concept?
It has provided ENYA with great ideas and also some international linkages. |
