Proposals include research and innovation in health and environment, detection of Fake News and Big Data

"la Caixa" Foundation awards 17 social innovation projects carried out by secondary school and high school students

From the confinement, 308 students and 82 teachers lived three days of lectures, workshops and activities to improve and finalize the transformative projects and worked on throughout the course within the Challenges Emprende, Big Data, BeCritical and STEAMxChange. In the image, a student entering the EduCaixa Virtual Campus 2020

Updated: 04/06/20

Of the 1,537 teams from all over Spain, Portugal and Colombia that presented their projects to EduCaixa's Challenges, 81 were selected to participate in the Virtual Campus during the second week of May. Within the confinement, 308 students and 82 teachers experienced three days of inspiring lectures, workshops and activities to improve and finalize the transformative projects and worked on throughout the course within the Reto Emprende (Enterprising Challenge), Big Data, BeCritical and STEAMxChange.

En la imagen: RETO EMPRENDE. Proyecto: HYDRABRID. Proyecto dirigido a las comunidades con escasez de agua. Se trata de un kit solar de nueva tecnología para el aprovechamiento solar que funciona de forma autónoma. Centro: Institut Badalona VII, Badalona. Equipo: categoría B (Bachillerato/CFGM).

Based on their input and the activities planned for each Challenge, the teams have improved the projects and continued to train the skills required in today's world. For example: teamwork, creativity, critical thinking and communication, and they have learned the special relevance of carrying it out remotely. All these skills have been key to culminate their projects and their learning by opting to win the prizes offered each year by EduCaixa within the framework of these challenges.

En la imagen: RETO BIG DATA. Proyecto: LA TIERRA EN NÚMEROS ROJOS. Análisis las causas del exponencial crecimiento de la explotación de los recursos naturales y propuesta de cambios de hábitos de vida. Centro: IES Albaida, Almería. Equipo: categoría A (3º/4ºESO).

All these projects are the first innovative proposals made by young people in the face of the historical and exceptional context in which we are living. Following this line, all the participating teams have shown great social and environmental awareness by aligning their initiatives with the Sustainable Development Goals, managing to evolve their projects with great creativity and demonstrating a strong will to improve the world.

EduCaixa tiene como objetivo capacitar a los estudiantes adolescentes para abordar los grandes retos de este siglo XXI. En la imagen estudiante utilizando recursos de EduCaixa.

Before the pandemic, the winners were eligible for training trips in Silicon Valley, Boston or New York, according to the Challenge. Due to the impossibility of travelling, the 66 teenagers in the 17 best teams were awarded a laptop and their teachers, who also faced their own challenges, with a four-month online training course from MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) starting in September.

Xavier Bertolín, director of the Commercial and Educational Area of the "la Caixa" Foundation, said: "Awarded or not, this experience has been key to the future of all the young participants. The fact that the Campus and all the work around the Challenges has been entirely online, brings unquestionable added value to their training at this time when the importance of knowing how to work remotely, especially in a team, is being appreciated in all areas".

To see the full list of winners, click on this link.

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