It’s chaos, but it’s chaos under control, says head of department Hanne Kvam enthusiastically.
Innovation camp is about creativity, idea development and the joy of creating. The program is organized annually in the primary school in Trondheim, and is under the auspices of the non-profit organization Ungt Entreprenørskap.
Among the ideas hatched during the innovation camp at Charlottenlund was the app Go social. It will help to create community and reduce loneliness by making it easier to find and participate in social leisure activities.
The app provides an overview of everything you can do in Trondheim. Both free activities and things that cost money. You can also enter leisure activities yourself, so that others can join. This is how you get to know others, make new friends, and meet others who have the same interests as you, the students say.
The innovation camp has given the students more experience, both about group work and idea development.
The most important thing I’ve learned is that you can’t just think of your own idea, but that you also have to listen to others, says Runa. – Yes, and that you have to think outside the box, adds Amalie.
I hope the students take away the joy of working creatively. We would like them to do more of that in class as well. And then I hope that they take new friendships with them from these days, because the groups are put together according to interests, not groups of friends, says Kvam.
The students were divided into groups of six, and divided into four sections. After the presentations, the jury selected a finalist from each section. The four groups that progressed got to present their ideas in the school final, which took place on the same day. From the section to Go social, it was Sun-Charge who ran away with the final place.
Afterwards, the jury will choose the winner at Charlottenlund secondary school. The prize is the golden ticket itself – to progress to the super final, 30 April. Here, winning teams from all the schools in Trondheim will compete against each other.
Picking a winner is proving to be challenging.
– Can we choose? It is absolutely impossible, exclaims one of the jury members shortly after they have begun the summary of the day.
The members of the jury each have their favourites.
– I think this one would stand out in the super final. They are very motivated! Having a great time during the presentation, says one. – Then there was the technical prototype, it was advanced, says another.
The extent to which the idea is innovative and feasible is an important criterion. Whether there is enough sun in Trondheim for one of the ideas to work in practice is up for discussion.
– Remember that we are the solar capital so far this year, we have a lot of light, points out one of the members.
After some discussion, everyone in the jury votes for their two favourites. The person who receives the most votes is declared the winner. Then it’s just a matter of getting ready to hand out the golden ticket.
All the students in the eighth grade are gathered to find out who will walk away with the victory. And the winner was (drumroll): Gruppa Chalyd! Chalyd has found a new renewable energy source, namely sound waves. It’s a box that works like a human ear. It can be used to collect sound from sound-intense places, such as airports or concerts. The sound will be used to generate electricity.
The jury’s reasoning: “The solution was very innovative, creative and smart. Simply brilliant! This is something completely new that could become a reality in the future.”
Now it remains to be seen whether it is Chalyd who runs away with the title of winner of this year’s Innovation Camp in Trondheim, 30 April.
