A unique initiative for high school students led by Crazy Ideas College was underway at Alexandra Oval Community Centre this week, focused on equipping young people with the confidence and skills to believe in their own ideas, and their ability to bring those ideas to life.
The Social Innovators Program blends elements of human-centred design, future-thinking, and innovation methodologies, throwing open the doors to creative problem-solving and social entrepreneurship for our community's young people.
Across two days, 60 students from Marian and Ararat Colleges gathered at the Community Centre to explore and share insights around issues important to them, generate innovative ideas around those issues, and prototype how those ideas could work within the community.
On the first day of the program, students' ideas included the Salsa Glitter Bully Gun (a device which plays Despacito while blasting your bully with a special glitter that makes them vigorously dance salsa), the Door of Wisdom (a portal which takes the user back through time and into the lives of ordinary people), and the Robofish, a mechanical fish which grows in size and shape as it eats plastic from the ocean.
Across the second day, students transformed these ideas into solutions which addressed a core issue. The Glitter Gun became an intraschool mural project which educates students on anti-bullying; the Door of Wisdom became a morning tea which brings the community's young and older people together; Robofish became a marine animal sponsorship program, in which participants can also track the oceanic movements of their chosen animal.
Student groups presented their freshly formed pitches to one of two panels comprised of community partners. Participating figures included Narissa Gee from Central Grampians LLEN, Inga Hamilton from Sustainability Victoria, Teli Kaur from Ararat Neighbourhood House, Toby Steele from Ararat RSL, Ararat Rural City Councillor Peter Beales, Mitre 10 owner Simon Jones, Deputy Mayor Jo Armstrong, and Council CEO Dr Tim Harrison.
The panels praised students' imaginations, ideas on practical implementation, and research into their selected issues, giving specific feedback and offering real-world support into bringing projects to fruition. Dr Harrison observed that many students' initial 'crazy' ideas were not so far-fetched: "Creativity is how we invent things," he remarked.
Crazy Ideas College will continue to deliver programs for Ararat's high school students across the school year and into 2025, cultivating problem-solving skills, originality, and social responsibility in our community's future changemakers.
To see more images from the Ararat Social Innovators program from Crazy Ideas College, head to our Facebook and Instagram channels.
