Maynooth University crowned champions of 2015 Enactus Ireland National Competition for Social Entrepreneurship

Friday, May 29, 2015 - 11:00

Maynooth University to represent Ireland at the prestigious 2015 Enactus World Cup in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Enactus Ireland Chairman, Terence O’Rourke, joined by Neville Bourke, Head of Human Resources, Bank of Ireland, announced Maynooth University as the winners of the prestigious 2015 Enactus Ireland National Competition for its Access Earth project. Access Earth is an app / service that allows the user to find reliable and up-to-date accessibility information about a place or business. The win builds on Access Earth’s international profile following its success at Microsoft’s international competition, the Imagine Cup.
 
The winning team led by 4th year law student Darren Smith will now represent Ireland at the 2015 Enactus World Cup in Johannesburg, South Africa, which takes place in October.  
 
Enactus in an international non-profit organisation founded on the basic principle that entrepreneurial action can be a powerful catalyst for human progress.  Guided by educators and supported by business leaders, it provides a platform for teams of outstanding university students to create community development projects, while developing the skills to become socially responsible business leaders of the future.
 
The National Competition is an annual event where students come together to present the projects they have developed over the last 12 months and demonstrate how they are changing lives within their communities and enabling progress through entrepreneurial action.  As part of the competition, seven student teams representing seven of Ireland’s Higher Education Institutions, showcased their outreach efforts to a distinguished panel of executives.  The judging panel of 39 senior business leaders evaluated the quality and impact of the projects before announcing Maynooth University as winners.
 
Winning team captain, Darren Smith from Maynooth University said: “We’re thrilled with our win and really looking forward to representing Ireland and our university at the World Cup. Preparing for the Enactus Ireland National Competition has been a fantastic experience. It’s given us valuable team building, fundraising, research and presentation skills and we hope that through our project, we’ve been able to make a real contribution and improvement to the lives of people in our community.”
 
Terence O’Rourke, Chairperson of Enactus Ireland, said: “All the student teams involved this year have shown tremendous understanding of how their entrepreneurial skills and talents can be used to bring about real change in their communities. Each team’s passion, determination and desire to transform lives is inspirational. I wish Maynooth University every success in the World Cup. I’m certain they will do everyone involved in Enactus Ireland proud.”
 
Enactus Ireland is sponsored by KPMG, AIG, Arthur Cox, CarTrawler, Enterprise Rent-a-Car, The Ireland Funds, KBC Ireland, Microsoft Ireland, Musgrave Group, New Ireland Assurance, Unilever, Abbott Ireland, Bank of Ireland, Merc Partners and Willis.
 
Details of all team projects can be found online at www.enactus.org