Young Innovators is up and running in the Netherlands! After four inspiring classes about system thinking and climate action at high schools in Utrecht and Zeist, two Young Climathons will take place on 31st of October and the 12th of November. In total, 280 students of 15-18 years old participate!
The Young Climathons are a one-day hackaton in which student teams work on real case studies, brought in by Utrecht Natural, Tiny House 4 Amersfoort, OverMorgen, Rathenau Instituut, BlueTerra and Vrumona. The six winning teams ánd most motivated teams will follow a two-month accelerator programme, the Young Greenhouse, to further explore and implement their solutions.
The Young Climathons will introduce six real climate challenges of local business and institutions. Using visual system innovation tools, so called ‘canvasses’, the climate challenges will be solved by student teams under guidance of the challenge owners and other experts. These challenges include:
Challenges for the Young Climathon in Utrecht:
- Utrecht Natuurlijk: What are water adaptation solutions for the city, which together contribute to climate resilience in the city?
Important themes are: climate adaptation, heat and water stress, and biodiversity.
- Vrumona: How can we design a circular drinking pack for the brand Ranja, which has the same look and feel as other drinking packs, but without single-use plastics?
Important themes are: circular economy, recycling, single-use plastic
- Rathenau Instituut: How can you apply the ingredients of a living lab (that work at a certain location) in your neighborhood and other neighborhoods? So: how can you increase the scale of a living lab?
Important themes are: living knowledge laboratory, tailor-made initiatives, innovation
The program of the day:
10:20 Official welcome
10:30 Group work
12:45 Lunch break
13:15 Finalization of the proposals and preparing the presentations
13:45 Presentations to the jury
14:45 Jury evaluation
15:00 Award ceremony
15:15 Closing
The Young Innovators programme is implemented by Stichting Technotrend in collaboration with EIT Climate-KIC, and supported by Utrecht Natural and Hoogheemraadschap de Stichtse Rijnlanden.
Want to learn more? Visit Stichting Technotrend.
