CBSE Launches Entrepreneurship Competition For School Students, “Youth Ideathon 2024”

Youth are the most energetic generation, but are they valued? Experiences that build young people’s leadership capacities have to become a part of mainstream policies for the youth. At the same time, adults need to amend their roles vis-a-vis young people and become facilitators of these experiences. Because entrepreneurs are not born—they are made.

The Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) Report highlighted the abundance of entrepreneurial talent in India, with approximately 81 per cent of youth reporting having the skills and knowledge needed to start a business. However, many lacked a risk-taking attitude—a critical aspect of entrepreneurship—with 56 per cent of young people stating that they feared failure. 

To promote the young entrepreneurs’ talent, India’s leading entrepreneurship education platform, in association with the Management Entrepreneurship Professional Skills Council (MEPSC) under the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, and the Central Board for Secondary Education (CBSE), introduced the launch of the 4th edition of Youth Ideathon (YI24). This prestigious Innovation and Entrepreneurship festival aims to harness young minds’ creativity and entrepreneurial spirit across India. 

What is Youth Ideathon? 

The Youth Ideathon is India’s biggest innovation and entrepreneurship competition designed specifically for school students. Plays a significant role in nurturing the entrepreneurial spirit among young minds and promotes startup ideas among school students. Have created over 200 internships for school students, providing them with hands-on experience in various fields such as technology, website management, content creation, digital marketing, and student mobilization.

The theme for Youth Ideathon 2024

• The theme of this year’s Youth Ideathon is “iStartup a Good Thing for India.”
• The Ideathon attracted over 1.5 lakh students from more than 8000 schools in 2023.
• It aims to have a participation of over 2 lakh students across ten thousand schools.
• Participants will receive certificates, and top teams will compete for incubation grants of up to Rs. 100,000.
• Special recognition will be given to teachers, mentors, and schools with high participation rates.
• The competition will be held in five stages, initially online, and is open to all school students in India, divided into Junior (Class 4 to Class 8) and Senior (Class 9 to Class 12) categories.
• Students will compete in teams of 3 to 5 members from the same school.

Benefits of Youth Ideathon 

• It will allow students to think bravely and showcase their talents.
• It nurtures the entrepreneurial spirit among young minds, creating over 200 internships for school students in different fields.
• It empowers the next generation by nurturing high-potential student ideas with incubation support.
• Channellising the creativity of young minds towards addressing pressing social, environmental, and economic challenges.
• It addresses both SDG 4 and SDG 5 goals of quality education and gender equality.

Government and Industry Support

Dr Biswajit Saha, Director (Skill Education & Training), CBSE, Ministry of Education, Government of India, emphasized the program’s alignment with the New Education Policy 2020, fostering entrepreneurial thinking among students. Mamta Kumari, Deputy General Manager at SIDBI, highlighted the initiative’s role in nurturing entrepreneurship among youth and providing practical experience through internships in diverse fields.

Stakeholder Perspectives

Shivani Singh-Kapoor, Co-founder of ThinkStartup, stressed the importance of nurturing creativity and entrepreneurial skills from a young age to cultivate future job creators.

Industry partners such as Esri India and MediaTek expressed their commitment to fostering innovation and sustainable development by supporting Youth Ideathon 2024.

Challenge and Awards

Sanjeeva Shivesh, Program Director of Youth Ideathon, introduced an exciting element this year by offering INR 1000 cash to the Top 500 teams with developing prototypes or small ventures, encouraging students to channel their creativity effectively.

Empowering Women Entrepreneurs

Youth Ideathon 2024 is also supported by SheAtWork and BRICS CCI WE aim to promote gender equality and empower women entrepreneurs through innovative initiatives.

Youth Ideathon 2024 aligns perfectly with the vision of fostering creativity and entrepreneurial spirit among young minds this innovative platform aims to contribute to the country’s growth, generating more startups, creating jobs, and cultivating groundbreaking ideas. This knowledge exchange is vital for the future, and we are excited to see the incredible potential that Youth Ideathon 2024 will unleash.