Think, Create, Share – DeLorean Project Youth Innovation Showcase
How many different ways could one use a brick? Most people will suggest something to do with building, or maybe breaking (eg- a window). But what else could a brick be used for? Could you use it to file your nails? Could it be a Geisha pillow?
Creativity is a quality that allows us to produce novel and useful ideas or products, but where do great ideas come from? Creativity seems to run rampant in children and then begins to decline as they progress through school and into adulthood. But is this really the case? Do we actually lose our ability to be creative as we get older? Research suggests that our ability to be creative is always there, we just don’t exercise enough! Dr Harry R. Moody says “Often the decline in creativity comes about because people’s underlying capabilities are not being challenged – they’re locked into jobs or situations that are boring.” So what are we doing in schools to exercise students’ creativity ‘muscle’? The answer is quite a bit actually, when you consider opportunities to study subjects like Drama, Design and Visual Art (to name a few). But how does that practice translate into using a creative mindset to solve real world problems? Some would argue it doesn’t, at least not that well.
At GCC we look for ways to make this real-world connection between creativity and the problems that exist out in the world, through programs like the DeLorean Project, our Year 10 Entrepreneurship Education subject, mandatory for all students. Students are challenged to think, create and share. Choosing an area of interest and/or passion, we challenge students to identify a problem that exists and find a creative way to solve that problem. We then ask students to share their solutions with the world (something that is a lot easier to do these days with the help of technology). Some research suggests that adolescents often propose more original ideas than adults and yet many would agree that we don’t give young people enough opportunity to share them. They might not have the knowledge base, understanding or experience of an adult, but they have the best ideas!
Our DeLorean program is based on 4 pillars, or skill sets, which if developed from a young age, will give students a significant advantage when navigating life in general, but more specifically their career pathways. These skill sets are now deemed by many institutions, industries and employers to be as important, if not more important than content knowledge. It has become easier than ever before to learn ‘stuff’ and often that can be done without a teacher in the room. The difficult part is how one applies their knowledge, communicates what they know, and how well they work with others to use that knowledge to solve problems.
Our DeLorean students have spent this year learning about the process of having an idea and then actioning it, taking it from this cool thought inside their head to something tangible that others can hear, see, taste, touch, and/or smell. With not much more than a basic understanding of the process, students then do it. They build a prototype to demonstrate their idea and pitch it to local business people and entrepreneurs from around the Sunshine Coast and Brisbane. At the end of the year-long program (which is approaching quickly) students get an opportunity to share their journey with their families, friends and a number of people within the entrepreneurship, business and innovation network here on the coast.
On Wednesday, 2 November, the DeLorean Project has partnered with Silicon Coast (the leading representative body for entrepreneurship and innovation across the Sunshine Coast) to present our Youth Innovation Showcase for 2022. There will be approximately 25 to 30 projects on display along with 75 students ready to share their ideas and their startup journey with those that attend.
This year, we are also super excited to have Daniel Flynn, Co-Founder of thankyou. with us to give a keynote address to our Year 10 DeLorean students. Daniel and his wife Justine founded thankyou. in 2008 with the goal of bringing extreme poverty to an end. Today, thankyou. brand can be found in major grocery stores all around Australia offering 56 different products across 3 product ranges, from which the sales directly support those in our world who are most vulnerable. Daniel is a world-class keynote speaker and author and we are so privileged to have him visit us and support our students and our program.
If you’d like to see what the DeLorean Project is all about and join us for our Youth Innovation Showcase on 2 Nov, please register for a free ticket using the link below.
https://events.humanitix.com/the-delorean-project-youth-innovation-showcase-2022
Rob Steffler, DeLorean Project Founder & Team Lead
