Technopreneur challenge to groom tomorrow’s innovators – applying stem and design thinking to sustainability solutions
Media Release by South West Community Development Council
Jun 24, 2021
Job shadow opportunities with HP Inc and $3,000 funding among prizes for winning teams.
The South West Community Deveopment Council (CDC), HP Inc and Junior Achievement (JA) Singapore have come together in collaboration to mentor and empower youths in the South West District and beyond with critical soft skills, as well as technology skills, to address sustainability issues.
The Young Technopreneur Challenge 2021 aims to empower youths to take ownership of the world they live in and become problem solvers. The youths tackle a specific sustainability goal from either the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, the Singapore Green Plan 2030 or the Sustainable South West Masterplan, build a technology- or science-based solution, and pitch it to industry executives. The solutions will be judged on innovation, application of STEM, research, teamwork and pitching. This is the third year of the Challenge.
44 youth teams from 19 schools comprising around 180 Secondary Two and Three students are participating in the Challenge this year. To equip the students with essential soft skills as well as coding skills, three bootcamps have been curated on (i) design thinking, (ii) coding, and (iii) pitching and presentation skills. These efforts aim to shape and guide the students to think about sustainability solutions from the user’s perspective, apply STEM to solve the issues as a technopreneur, and hone their presentation skills and confidence. Dedicated mentors from HP Inc and JA Singapore have also been assigned to the teams to provide guidance and serve as a resource to the students.
Eight teams will vie for the top three spots in the finals of the Challenge this coming Saturday, 26 June 2021. The top three winning teams will get to participate in a job shadow program at HP Inc to see innovative solutions at work. In addition, the champion team will receive $3,000 funding to develop and implement their proposals.
15-year-old Jayden Ho, a Secondary Three student at Bukit View Secondary School, is part of a team that is pitching an idea to safeguard food security under the SG Green Plan. His team plans to design a smart device that taps on technology to help fish farmers monitor their water parameters regularly, affordably and easily. By monitoring their water parameters, fish farmers can not only ensure optimal conditions for fast fish reproduction, they can also spot issues such as diseases and take action early to avoid the disease from spreading to other fish in the tank.
Jayden, who is in the school’s Environmental Club, is deeply interested in sustainability issues and the Young Technopreneur Challenge was an exciting platform for him to tackle them. It was also a very good opportunity to apply skills learnt through Bukit View Secondary School’s unique applied learning programme. He shares, “I signed up for the Challenge because I was very intrigued to learn more about the Singapore Green Plan 2030 and I was looking forward to coming up with innovative ideas to counter sustainability issues. I feel that the Challenge has widened our horizons and we are now able to see how design thinking can be applied to problems in our daily lives.”
“I would definitely recommend the Young Technopreneur Challenge to my peers as I feel that I have benefited a lot from it. Not only does it challenge us to solve real-world problems, it equips us with the necessary skills including design thinking, STEM and presentation skills so that we can apply them and gain more through hands-on learning,” says Jayden.
Mayor of South West District Ms Low Yen Ling says, “The Young Technopreneur Challenge is an exciting opportunity where students get to create their very own sustainability solution by applying the principles of STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) and design thinking. Through innovation and technology, our next generation has the potential to solve challenges and chart new pathways for sustainability. We are happy to partner HP Inc and JA Singapore to inspire more youths in the South West District to take ownership of their environment and start shaping the sustainable future they hope for.”
“At HP, we aim to help strengthen our communities while spurring innovation and growth,” says Ms Vivian Chua, Managing Director, HP Singapore. “As sustainability becomes increasing important and as digital technology transforms seemingly every aspect of our lives, we believe that programmes like the Young Technopreneur Challenge help build the hard and soft skills that will help our youths become part of the solution. Through programmes such as these, HP works to strengthen digital equity so that young people are better able to access the education and jobs in which they can thrive.”
“It is wonderful to have strong partners like HP Inc and South West CDC to inspire, prepare and empower the youths for their future through bringing “real life” issues and learnings to the students. We are able to stretch their imagination and push their boundaries to learn to think global, innovate, create and pitch an idea or concept by making use of STEM and technology. The unique opportunity to be guided by HP and JA business mentors will enhance their learning journeys leading up to the competition presentation day, ” says Ms Ng Hau Yee, Executive Director, JA Singapore.
About the South West Community Development Council
The South West Community Development Council (CDC) was formed on 24 November 2001, with the mission to Assist the Needy, Bond the People and Connect the Community.
Through local help programmes, the South West CDC provides assistance to help the less fortunate in our community. The South West CDC also organises projects and programmes to promote community bonding and social cohesion. The South West CDC adopts the "Many Helping Hands" approach to encourage community ownership among residents, community partners and corporations to realise its vision of “Owning Your Community”.
The South West Community Deveopment Council (CDC), HP Inc and Junior Achievement (JA) Singapore have come together in collaboration to mentor and empower youths in the South West District and beyond with critical soft skills, as well as technology skills, to address sustainability issues.
The Young Technopreneur Challenge 2021 aims to empower youths to take ownership of the world they live in and become problem solvers. The youths tackle a specific sustainability goal from either the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, the Singapore Green Plan 2030 or the Sustainable South West Masterplan, build a technology- or science-based solution, and pitch it to industry executives. The solutions will be judged on innovation, application of STEM, research, teamwork and pitching. This is the third year of the Challenge.
44 youth teams from 19 schools comprising around 180 Secondary Two and Three students are participating in the Challenge this year. To equip the students with essential soft skills as well as coding skills, three bootcamps have been curated on (i) design thinking, (ii) coding, and (iii) pitching and presentation skills. These efforts aim to shape and guide the students to think about sustainability solutions from the user’s perspective, apply STEM to solve the issues as a technopreneur, and hone their presentation skills and confidence. Dedicated mentors from HP Inc and JA Singapore have also been assigned to the teams to provide guidance and serve as a resource to the students.
Eight teams will vie for the top three spots in the finals of the Challenge this coming Saturday, 26 June 2021. The top three winning teams will get to participate in a job shadow program at HP Inc to see innovative solutions at work. In addition, the champion team will receive $3,000 funding to develop and implement their proposals.
15-year-old Jayden Ho, a Secondary Three student at Bukit View Secondary School, is part of a team that is pitching an idea to safeguard food security under the SG Green Plan. His team plans to design a smart device that taps on technology to help fish farmers monitor their water parameters regularly, affordably and easily. By monitoring their water parameters, fish farmers can not only ensure optimal conditions for fast fish reproduction, they can also spot issues such as diseases and take action early to avoid the disease from spreading to other fish in the tank.
Jayden, who is in the school’s Environmental Club, is deeply interested in sustainability issues and the Young Technopreneur Challenge was an exciting platform for him to tackle them. It was also a very good opportunity to apply skills learnt through Bukit View Secondary School’s unique applied learning programme. He shares, “I signed up for the Challenge because I was very intrigued to learn more about the Singapore Green Plan 2030 and I was looking forward to coming up with innovative ideas to counter sustainability issues. I feel that the Challenge has widened our horizons and we are now able to see how design thinking can be applied to problems in our daily lives.”
“I would definitely recommend the Young Technopreneur Challenge to my peers as I feel that I have benefited a lot from it. Not only does it challenge us to solve real-world problems, it equips us with the necessary skills including design thinking, STEM and presentation skills so that we can apply them and gain more through hands-on learning,” says Jayden.
Mayor of South West District Ms Low Yen Ling says, “The Young Technopreneur Challenge is an exciting opportunity where students get to create their very own sustainability solution by applying the principles of STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) and design thinking. Through innovation and technology, our next generation has the potential to solve challenges and chart new pathways for sustainability. We are happy to partner HP Inc and JA Singapore to inspire more youths in the South West District to take ownership of their environment and start shaping the sustainable future they hope for.”
“At HP, we aim to help strengthen our communities while spurring innovation and growth,” says Ms Vivian Chua, Managing Director, HP Singapore. “As sustainability becomes increasing important and as digital technology transforms seemingly every aspect of our lives, we believe that programmes like the Young Technopreneur Challenge help build the hard and soft skills that will help our youths become part of the solution. Through programmes such as these, HP works to strengthen digital equity so that young people are better able to access the education and jobs in which they can thrive.”
“It is wonderful to have strong partners like HP Inc and South West CDC to inspire, prepare and empower the youths for their future through bringing “real life” issues and learnings to the students. We are able to stretch their imagination and push their boundaries to learn to think global, innovate, create and pitch an idea or concept by making use of STEM and technology. The unique opportunity to be guided by HP and JA business mentors will enhance their learning journeys leading up to the competition presentation day, ” says Ms Ng Hau Yee, Executive Director, JA Singapore.
About the South West Community Development Council
The South West Community Development Council (CDC) was formed on 24 November 2001, with the mission to Assist the Needy, Bond the People and Connect the Community.
Through local help programmes, the South West CDC provides assistance to help the less fortunate in our community. The South West CDC also organises projects and programmes to promote community bonding and social cohesion. The South West CDC adopts the "Many Helping Hands" approach to encourage community ownership among residents, community partners and corporations to realise its vision of “Owning Your Community”.