Big Ideas ICT Youth Challenge
Description
The Big Ideas ICT Youth Challenge invites teams of young people to come up with ideas for new information and communication technologies, or new ways of using existing technology.
The aim
The aim is to develop the best business ideas, which will involve innovative thinking and collaborative working.
The ICT Youth Challenge model was developed in Highlands and Islands in Scotland, where it has run successfully for several years.
Making it to the HotHouse
The Challenge is open to anyone between the ages of 11 and 20 who lives in the North East of England. Teams who make it through the seed idea' stage of the competition progress to pitch in front of a panel of judges, with successful teams going on to attend a one-day forum to work on their idea.
The final stage is the HotHouse, where six teams take part in a week-long residential course where they work with business experts to develop a business plan to take their idea closer to commercial reality. Throughout the competition teams are judged on their idea and the work they put into developing it.
The wide age range is one of the unique aspects of the competition, says Lisa Smith, project manager of the Big Ideas ICT Youth Challenge.
"The Challenge gives young people the chance to pitch against one another in a business context. A team of Girl Guides may be up against a group of A-Level physics students it's the ideas we focus on, not people's ages."
Innovation, creativity and teamwork
The competition will require young people to work in teams, solve problems and use feedback from the judges to take their ideas to the next stage.
Katherine Mathieson, Programme Leader of NESTA's Future Innovators team, says: "Creative thinking, a spirit of enquiry and collaboration are all vital skills for young people to develop if they are to be the innovators of the future.
"The Challenge is an excellent opportunity to learn and apply these skills and to gain insight from experienced professionals about how turn ideas into successful businesses."
A total of 486 young people took part in the first Challenge, which ran from 2006-07. The competition has backing from regional development agency One NorthEast along with the North East Business Innovation Centre, NESTA, Microsoft and BT.
Lisa says: "The competition is proving hugely successful in the North East, so there's real potential for extending it into different areas of the country in the future."
Written: November 2007
Organisation:
North East Business and Innovation Centre
Programme:
Future Innovators
Discipline:
Enterprise Education
Location:
North East of England
Funding:
£202,125 (of which £182,125 from NESTA's former Learning Programme)
Year first funded:
2006
Website:
www.bigideasyouthchallenge.co.uk