A new pilot programme was launched in the city of Xiamen in Fujian province, China earlier this year, and the first 85 JEP entrepreneurs have created their businesses.
Paul McCarthy, a teacher at Xiamen International School, began searching for an entrepreneurship and life skills development programme for his students last Autumn. Paul has been teaching in international schools in different cities in China since 2015. He currently teaches Middle School (ages 11 – 15) at Xiamen International School. Xiamen is located on the South East coast of China. Paul had run JEP at home in Kerry and felt something similar would be ideal for his class. “I was a primary principal in Lauragh, a small, rural 2-teacher school in South Kerry, from 2011 – 2015 and took part in JEP before I moved to China. The children greatly enjoyed it and learned a huge amount.” “ I felt that this type of programme, with a focus on collaboration and life skills, would fit very well with the ethos of Xiamen International School. A high percentage of parents are business people, and I was confident they would appreciate the introduction of entrepreneurship skills at an early age.

Paul contacted the JEP office to ask if they would consider allowing him to participate, and before long he and his class were up and running. The pilot was a great success and culminated with one of Paul’s students winning the 2024 JEP Bright Spark Award. Chen Jia (Jana) won the award for her idea, the PLA converter, which could convert used plastic into 3D printing material. The Bright Spark is the only award presented to an individual student. It recognises the creativity of individuals who pitch novel ideas that are either too complex or demanding to become the Big Ide. “I learned many lessons from this experience”, she said. “The main thing is that things don't always go as planned, and thats okay. The sense of success came from a place other than making money. It came from the pride of being able to organise everything.”. Janas trophy was presented to her teacher Paul at JEP HQ during the summer.