EDWARD DE BONO'S MESSAGES - 10th April 2000

Young Enterprise Europe

At a recent meeting I was asked to become chairman of Young Enterprise Europe. This is a marve4llous organisation that encourages youngsters who are still at school to set up their own 'businesses'.

Theses are real businesses with supplies, production, products, marketing, accounts etc. Many of the enterprises are truly impressive.

At the trade fair held this year in Malta, I gave my innovation award to an Italian company with the simple product of a washing up glove that had an abrasive patch on the palm.

In Europe, about 500,000 youngsters are involved.

One of my concepts is to suggest that each team set up a mini-think tank. In addition to the business side, the youngsters would also find time to think about issues.

I am setting up a website called 'youthconsult.com' for this purpose. All the proceeds, after payment of expenses, would go to the Young Enterprise organisation and to the youngsters involved.

These are early days and the project has not been officially launched.

Youngsters have a freshness of approach and a directness of thinking that the tired world of expert thinking so badly needs.

"You can anlyse the past but you have to design the future".

Edward de Bono nmt
9th April 2000
U.S.A.

Edward de Bono's International Conference will be held in Malta from 26th to 29th July 2000 - immediately after the Fourth International Conference on Creative Thinking at the University of Malta. (Further information edwdebono@msn.com subject: conference)