PRESIDENT Biden praised young people in Northern Ireland for being on the "cutting edge" of the future.
And among the organisations he name-checked during his address at Ulster University was Young Enterprise, which nurtures the entrepreneurial talent of young people aged 5-25 from all backgrounds and communities across the north and which has established the Connect USA programme, where young entrepreneurs can forge transatlantic links.
Indeed the President was introduced to the podium by Gabrielle Feenan from Banbridge, herself a participant in the Young Enterprise Connect USA programme.
She said: “It has been an honour to be involved in this historic event and I'm grateful to be able to represent the Good Friday Agreement generation.
“Young Enterprise has supported me over the last year, and as a result I have been fortunate to join a network of like-minded friends in other young entrepreneurs. It has opened the door to opportunities that otherwise I would not have been able to access. I thank Young Enterprise for their continued support and investment in me and my ventures, the experience has been invaluable to me and my journey to date.”
Among the other Young Enterprise alumni there to welcome President Biden was board member Jordan Graham, was born in the week of the Good Friday Agreement.
He said: “This visit reminds us of the foundation the Good Friday Agreement represented, from which Northern Ireland could prosper. Working with the charity has opened my eyes to the scale of the young entrepreneurial talent Northern Ireland holds. It is now our job to nurture and lead that talent to a successful future.
“Northern Ireland made a very big decision in 1998, and 25 years later we still have an important decision to make. We can choose to present Northern Ireland for what it is - a fantastic opportunity for investment and development. The Good Friday Agreement created a foundation of peace, now it is our job to continue to build on that.”
Young Enterprise chief executive Carol Fitzsimons added: “Our mission is to build the skills, belief, and confidence of our young people. Every young person we work with is part of the Good Friday Agreement generation and we are supporting them to take their place in the Northern Ireland economy.
“We support young people so they will be ready to build a business in the future. We surround them with peers that harbour similar ambitions and help them interface with the local and global entrepreneurial ecosystem to support their ambitions of business start-up.
“For Northern Ireland to achieve its economic ambitions, we must embrace innovation not just entrepreneurs. We are working to develop innovative entrepreneurs and employees who will be the sought-after talent for home-grown and FDI businesses.
“We recognise that this can’t wait until our young people are of working age, which is why our work to bring Northern Ireland from peace to prosperity begins in early education.”
