How can young people turn food waste into an opportunity for innovation? That is the challenge at the heart of the sixth edition of Mind REset, an educational programme introducing schoolchildren across Cyprus to environmental entrepreneurship.
Organised by Junior Achievement Cyprus in collaboration with Lidl Cyprus, the programme invites pupils to examine the impact of food waste, explore ways to conserve resources and develop their own ideas for more sustainable products and solutions.
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Now in its sixth consecutive year, Mind REset has reached more than 16,400 pupils across Cyprus, according to the organisers.
The initiative is aimed at pupils in Years 5 and 6 of primary school and the first two years of lower secondary school (Gymnasium). Through five interactive lessons, participants learn about environmental challenges while developing entrepreneurial thinking and skills.
Turning Environmental Challenges Into Business Ideas
This year’s programme focuses on resource conservation, particularly food waste, following its earlier emphasis on the consequences of plastic consumption.
Rather than approaching sustainability solely as an environmental issue, Mind REset encourages pupils to consider how everyday problems can become opportunities for developing new products and entrepreneurial ideas.
The programme builds on the achievements of previous participants. In the 2026 edition, teams from Dasoupoli Primary School (K.B) and Egkomi Gymnasium Kyriakos Neokleous were named Mind Resetters of the Year.
Their environmental ideas earned them the competition’s grand prize, an educational trip to Austria.
Teachers Prepare For The New Edition
The sixth edition officially launched with a teacher training session held on 20 October 2026 at the Lidl Food Academy in Nicosia.
Participating educators received guidance and educational materials to deliver the five-lesson programme in their schools.
The launch was attended by representatives of the Ministry of Education, Sport and Youth, the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment, Lidl Cyprus and Junior Achievement Cyprus.
Among those addressing the event were Antigoni Komodiki, CEO of Junior Achievement Cyprus, and Maria Roukoudi, Head of Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability at Lidl Cyprus.
Mind REset is delivered with the institutional support of the Ministry of Education, Sport and Youth and under the auspices of the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment.
The programme’s continuing focus on entrepreneurship and environmental education aims to give young people experience in identifying problems, developing ideas and considering how those ideas could contribute to a more sustainable future.
