For the second year in a row, Friends of Bata proudly partnered with Junior Achievement Slovakia to deliver Stories That Inspire — a national storytelling competition where students interview real entrepreneurs and transform their journeys into meaningful written narratives.
The aim is simple:
Help young people learn from real founders, real decisions, and real experiences.
By combining journalism, entrepreneurship, and reflection, students gain skills that traditional classrooms rarely teach — critical thinking, strategic analysis, empathy, and the ability to tell a compelling story.
This year, 31 student teams participated, supported by teachers and local entrepreneurs who generously shared their journeys. The final round took place on November 13, 2025, where the top five stories were presented to an expert jury.
⭐ What Students Did Exceptionally Well
According to jury chair and Friends of Bata Ambassador Prof. Heinrich Homola, this year’s submissions showcased impressive maturity and depth:
- Critical thinking: breaking down real business challenges
- Strong storytelling: engaging, vivid, and human narratives
- Clear articulation: identifying each founder’s core struggle
- Deep analysis: understanding decisions and trade-offs
- Meaningful lessons: personal reflections with universal relevance
- Real impact: stories that made the reader ask,
“What would I do in their place?”
“These students listened, reflected, and transformed founder journeys into something inspiring. This project builds confidence and shows young people that creativity and resilience truly matter.”
— Prof. Heinrich Homola
🏆 Competition Results
🥇 1st Place — Sára Osif
A beautifully written story celebrating Včelovina, a unique Slovak honey-based craft product.
🥈 2nd Place — “Stones From the Sky” (Karyna Osiptsova)
A powerful narrative about rebuilding a family business after war and relocation.
🥉 3rd Place — “Kávičkárky” (Soňa Haščáková & Violetta Sytenko)
A story of reinvention and perseverance from a café entrepreneur under the Tatras.
⭐ Why Friends of Bata Supports This
At Friends of Bata, our mission is to make entrepreneurship education practical, human, and globally accessible.
This competition brings that mission to life by giving students:
- direct access to real founders
- meaningful exposure to entrepreneurial thinking
- the chance to build writing and communication skills
- the confidence that their voice and perspective matter
We believe young people learn best not from theory, but from the lived experiences of others — especially entrepreneurs who have built, failed, adapted, and tried again.
🚀 Looking Ahead
We extend our congratulations to every student and teacher who participated.
You created stories filled with courage, curiosity, and insight — stories that truly inspire.
We look forward to continuing this collaboration with Junior Achievement Slovakia and supporting the next generation of entrepreneurial thinkers.
👉 Learn more about Friends of Bata: www.friendsofbata.org
👉 Learn more about JA Slovakia: https://www.jaslovensko.sk/
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