Had enough of thinking inside the box?
Well Langley School District is encouraging folks to check out a new IDEA Summit in early May.
Students from Kindergarten through Grade 12, from every school in the district, will be participating in a day-long undertaking intended to showcase young entrepreneurs in action.
The Innovation Design Entrepreneurship and Altruism (IDEA) Summit is a day of challenges, said Susan Cairns, executive director of the Langley School District Foundation.
“Witness our young entrepreneurs in action, and see what the future holds,” she said.
The day will feature market and social-preneurship showcases where students exhibit their innovative products for sale or explain their plans to change the world.
Guests can watch the design challenges, as students, who are provided with an open-ended problem, thrust themselves out of conventional thinking and into a mind-set where original ideas and dynamic thoughts come fast and furious, Cairns explained.
There’s also a pitch challenge, where the top 20 students pitch their product or service in front of a panel of esteemed judges charged with choosing the top four.
The day also include a keynote speech from Simon Fraser University’s first director of entrepreneurship, Dr. Sarah Lubik.
The day wraps up with Dragon’s Den-style finale that will see the four “outstanding” presenters receiving a $2,000 scholarship and a $500 donation back to a charity of the winner’s choosing.
“At the IDEA Summit students are taking leaps of faith and attacking problems from different angles,” Cairns said. “With eyes and mind open to every possibility, they are breaking out of the usual box of ideas and turning brainstorms from familiar to fantastic.”
The event runs from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 8 at the Langley Events Centre and is open to the public.
