Students solving real world problems

STUDENTS from Ballarat Grammar, Ballarat High School, Mount Clear College, and Damascus College have presented their ideas to solve some of the world’s most pressing challenges at the Ballarat Social Innovators pitch event.

The two-day initiative is a partnership with Integra Group and is facilitated by Crazy Ideas College, where students explore ideas related to caring for the environment, health and wellbeing, reimagining learning and fostering connections.

It culminated with a pitch event last Friday where students presented their projects to community partners for feedback.

Cooper from Damascus College was part of the initiative. His group designed a project called Helping Hands where community members would visit the school to share insights about their career.

“Every week or so we’d have local people come to the school, like firefighters or chefs or anyone that’s a profession to see if people like it to set them up for when they actually have to choose a job,” he said.

Sophie from Ballarat Grammar said she enjoyed the initiative as it shows that anyone can make a difference at any age.

“I really enjoyed the process because at first we came up with the unrealistic idea… then we made it smaller and it makes your idea more strong,” she said.

“It made me realise you can make a difference even at this age.”

Her group’s pitch involved clothing bins being installed at local schools where students can donate clothes.

The clothes will then be turned into quilts for Anglicare, and Sophie already has plans to act.

“We’ll make a day where we’ll invite local people, like there’s a retirement home near our school, to come with their sewing skills because we have sewing machines, and make a day of it sewing these blankets,” she said.

Matt McCabe, general manager at Integra Group, said it is important to help students understand the broader world.

“Both the pitch event and the work they do after that does give them exposure of things outside their school world,” he said.

“I think it’s really important for these kids to understand what the opportunities are for them post the completion of their schooling.

“It broadens their mindset not just about what the working world looks like but the world in general.”