• News Academy to host coding workshop for 100 young people to celebrate Global Entrepreneurship Week
• Partnering with Acorn Aspirations and UnLtd, 16-19 year olds from disadvantaged backgroudnhave the opportunity to explore coding, programming and digital solutions to social problems
• Unruly, News Academy and high-flying entrepreneurs on-hand, offering advice, prizes and grants to help get the best entrepreneurial ideas of the ground

To celebrate Global Entrepreneurship Week, the News Academy is partnering with social enterprises, Acorn Aspirations and UnLtd, on to deliver a two-day (21 – 22 November) coding workshop for 100 young people from Tower Hamlets.

The 16-19 year-olds will enjoy dazzling views of London from News UK’s state-of-the-art HQ, The News Building, while learning new skills and exploring digital solutions to social problems in their city with the help of developers from Unruly.

The event is designed by Acorn Aspirations to unlock the entrepreneurial potential of the young people by inspiring them to get creative with coding, programming and digital technology.

The News Academy team and top TechCity entrepreneurs will be on-hand to mentor the teams, with UnLtd Awards of up to £5,000 up for grabs to ensure that the best ideas have a chance to progress from a prototype into a viable business.

Acorn Aspirations founder Elena Sinel said

This is the first event of its kind and our hope is to empower young people to unleash their entrepreneurial side. It’s fantastic to have the support of The News Academy as we look to make a positive difference in the lives of those who so often miss out.

News Academy Director, Duncan White, added:

It is a privilege for the News Academy host such an innovative event. We hope to light the entrepreneurial spark for many talented young people and play a small part in their future success.

Follow the event live using the hashtag #GEWMakeIt.

Media Contact

Caitlin McNamara, News UK Corporate Affairs
Email: caitlin.mcnamara@news.co.uk
Telephone News UK Press Office: 02077 826 07

About Acorn Aspirations

Acorn Aspirations is an award-winning early stage edtech social enterprise on a mission to connect disadvantaged young people aged 11-19 with technology and unleash their creative entrepreneurial potential by providing them with a digital platform and opportunities to conceive ideas, raise funding through our dedicated crowdfunding platform AcornFund, develop businesses, get mentoring and work experience in tech companies and corporates.

By empowering young people and helping them to unlock their entrepreneurial potential, we hope to break the cycle of deprivation that affects inner city communities. We are currently supported by UnLtd, the Young Foundation and Ernst & Young Foundation.

Please see www.acornaspirations.co.uk for more details and the latest activities.

About Unruly

Unruly is the ad tech company that gets videos watched, tracked and shared across the Open Web. Positioned at the intersect of video, social, native & mobile, Unruly uses emotional audience data and user-friendly video formats to massively increase viewer engagement, brand performance & publisher revenues. Please see www.unruly.co for more details

About News Academy

Launched in January 2014, the News Academy is News UK’s flagship programme for aspiring young journalists. It aims to inspire and empower the next generation of those considering a career in the media industry.

The programme is based on four core pillars of activity:

• An innovative programme of visits by News UK staff to schools across the country. Each visit includes an opportunity for young people to discuss topical issues, the role of the media and receive practical career guidance.
• The National Conference Series. So far attended by more than 1,000 students from 110 different schools, each conference hosts sessions featuring world-class journalists and a platform to debate the role of professional journalism.
• Each National Conference consists of Journalist Panel Discussion, Student/Journalist Networking Session, Break-Out Session and Workshops, Mock Press conference.
• A bespoke summer school at News UK’s HQ offering a week of training for the most promising and talented young people. The students compile their own newspaper, search out and write stories and see it printed at the world’s largest print site in Broxbourne.
• A tangible opportunity for young writers – a fortnightly competition to have their article published on our comprehensive website (www.news.co.uk/academy), packed with information about how to become a success in the industry and insights from experts.

Please see www.news.co.uk/academy for more details and the latest activities.

About UnLtd

We are UnLtd. We want to see a world where people act to make it better. We reach out to find passionate, talented, resourceful people who are determined to tackle the key issues facing society. We call these people social entrepreneurs.

Since we began in 2002, we have given over 13,000 awards, direct and through partners, to social entrepreneurs to start well and thrive. We've developed a vibrant ecosystem of hundreds of supporters in the UK and across the globe. Today, UnLtd is at the heart of a thriving movement for good. Now, we're committed to helping social entrepreneurs to become a valued and vibrant part of society. That means using all our experience, insight and innovation to break down the barriers preventing social entrepreneurship from fulfilling its potential to change the UK for the better.

For more information about the support offered by UnLtd go to www.UnLtd.org.uk
Twitter: @UnLtd"