EUROPEAN students seize the opportunity to Showcase their social innovations
Brussels 27 May, 2010 – A scheme to reward recycling, activities to educate children and parents about the problem of obesity and an idea to utilise new technology to dispose of garbage in an environmentally friendly way where just some of the innovations suggested by 61 secondary school students from 14 countries during the 24-hour marathon challenge of the first-ever European Social Innovation Camp on May 25th and 26th. This final event of the European Creativity & Innovation Challenge 2010 was organized by JA-YE Europe with support from HP and is part of an EU Leonardo da Vinci Network Grant ongoing project.
The students, aged 15-18, represented 14 European countries (Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Greece, Italy, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Spain and Turkey) and were all chosen to attend the European event based on their performance at their respective National Innovation & Creativity Challenges.
The young people were divided into mixed-nationality teams, and had just 24 hours to develop an idea for a social enterprise that could address a societal challenge. They quickly had to learn how to work together as they brainstormed solutions and developed their ideas into business plans.
The winning team developed the concept of automated agricultural systems called ‘ATARO’. Their concept was a self contained box which includes earth, vegetable seeds, nutrients and a complex system of electronic sensors to monitor growth and minimise the need for human intervention. ATARO units are designed to be integrated into new and existing building designs with the goal of having food crops grown right next to the people who will consume them, massively reducing transport costs, food costs and environmental impact. The group, made up of students from Spain, Norway, Belgium, Romania and Bulgaria, presented their solution in front of an audience of business people, media and European Commission staff.
A team of volunteer advisers from HP, CSR Europe, EuroChambres and JA Worldwide were on hand to act as expert volunteer advisers for the students. They took the time to share their insight and experience to guide the students as they made key decisions about how to solve the challenge and encouraged them to be creative and entrepreneurial in their thinking.
Daan Pape, a student from Belgium and member of the winning team, said “this was a wonderful experience to work in an international team, learn about different cultures and release our creativity.”
Speaking at the event, Massimo Baldinato, Member of the Cabinet of European Commission Vice President Antonio Tajani explained that “education for entrepreneurship should not be seen so much as a specific subject or topic, it is more about a different way of teaching and learning, based on project work and on the possibility for students to express their initiative and their creativity. By working on concrete projects, students will become more self-confident, better problem solvers and able to plan and manage their activities in order to achieve objectives.”
The purpose of the European Creativity & Innovation Challenge is to help young people develop the skills they will need to be successful employees or entrepreneurs in the future. “We are pleased to see that European Commission put innovation and creativity in the spotlight and allowed so many students to take part in these Innovation Camps this year,” said Caroline Jenner, the CEO for JA-YE Europe. “We believe innovation and creativity is fostered when we:
1. Expose young people to diversity, role models and the world outside the classroom.
2. Ask students to work on solving real-life challenges. The more we involve young people in addressing real problems in a positive way, the more motivated they will be to find innovative solutions.
3. Provide learning-by-doing education for young people.”
“HP believes that there is no better way to address society’s most pressing challenges than by equipping students with the skills to turn their ideas and ambition into action. Our long-term vision for social innovation is a world where unlimited educational opportunities drive amazing social change and transform lives,” said Jeannette Weisschuh, Director Education Initiatives, HP´s Office of Global Social Innovation, acting as the chair judge for the event.
Notes to Editors
Volunteer advisers from HP, JA Worldwide, Eurochambres and CSR Europe)
Judging panel
Jeannette Weisschuh (CHAIR JUDGE)
Director Education Initiatives, Office of Global Social Innovation
HP
Simone Baldassarri
Administrator
European Commission
Sébastien Deletaille
Founder and Owner RealImpact Management Consultants
Laura Maanavilja
Communications Manager
CSR Europe
Eduardo Serra
Manager of Public Affairs
Telefónica
JA-YE Europe (www.ja-ye.org) is Europe’s largest provider of entrepreneurship education programmes, reaching 3.1 million students in 38 countries in 2009. Funded by businesses, institutions, foundations and individuals, JA-YE brings the public and private sectors together to provide young people in primary and secondary schools and early university with high-quality education programmes to teach them about enterprise, entrepreneurship, business and economics in a practical way. The JA-YE Company Programme is recognised by the European Commission Enterprise Directorate General as a ‘Best Practice in Entrepreneurship Education’. JA-YE Europe is the European headquarters for JA Worldwide.
Media Contacts
For enquiries contact:-
Penny Perry
JA-YE Europe
M: +41 (0)79 368 9761
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