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igem news

SOLUTIONS FOR THE PLANET

YOUNG MINDS, BRIGHT IDEAS

IGEM has been supporting Solutions for the Planet’s Big Ideas Neil: My role is to offer
programme since 2013 and is its first national charity partner. mostly business-related
Solutions for the Planet (S4TP) is a social enterprise that works advice to the pupils and
with businesses, schools and communities to promote education I try to avoid being too
for sustainable development, enterprise, and science, technology, imposing with my ideas because it’s all
about their ideas, not mine. I’m there
engineering and maths (STEM) careers for young people. Here, to bring my practical experience, help
IGEM Marketing Assistant Matt Nicholls explains how you can get them to build their business case and
involved in this worthy cause encourage them to ask the questions
they need to bring their idea to life.
I ask, who are you going to sell it to?
How will it make money? What is
your competition? They really seem
to get behind the process and enjoy
answering the questions I pose.
How rewarding is the competition
for you as a mentor?
N: The whole scheme is great and very
rewarding as a mentor. What I like
about the programme is that it really
empowers the pupils. It lets them know
that they do have a voice and that their
ideas are being listened to. Young people
tend to be enthusiastic and uninhibited
in their ideas and to be a part of the
complete process from start to finish and
see their ideas progress really strikes a
chord. A lot of adults in the innovation
space may keep their mouths shut to
avoid sounding like a fool, but the 11
to 14-year-old age group, with a bit of
encouragement, are not afraid to express
SOLUTIONS FOR THE PLANET’S BIG After the day, the competition element their ideas and their point of view. In
IDEAS programme is an award-winning of the programme begins, and the pupils itself, that is really rewarding.
STEM and enterprise programme with meet once a week to work on elaborating
a focus on sustainability. The Big Ideas and growing their business case as they What would you say to others who may
programme builds young people’s start to think about the details. be considering becoming a mentor?
motivation to learn about STEM and The teams then compete in regional N: As you can tell, I’m very positive
sustainability, supported by companies section heats, with each winner about the whole scheme and I
that are leading in these fields progressing to the national final at recommend it highly. Of course, it’s
internationally. Entrepreneurship, the Houses of Parliament in London, ultimately a competition, but the
teamwork, business planning and which is a fantastic way to end the process for me is always the most
public presentation skills are central to competition. Mentors are involved rewarding part. I find that working as
the whole process, which is why IGEM throughout the programme, both at a mentor completely takes me out of
is encouraging its members to join the the Big Ideas Day and throughout the my usual day-to-day experiences and I
team and become mentors to these development sessions that follow. come back to work the next day feeling
bright young individuals. To find out more, we spoke to Neil refreshed and invigorated. It gives you
Brammall, who has been involved with an entirely different viewpoint. From a
How does the programme work? the competition for the past two years. personal and professional perspective, I
To kick things off, schools across the Neil is the Managing Director of Utility couldn’t recommend it highly enough.
country have a Big Ideas Day, where Information Services and comes from a
pupils aged 11-14 form teams and software engineering background. If you would like to become a Solutions
come up with their (hopefully) winning for the Planet mentor and support the next
solution through a process of idea How do the mentors fit into the generation of young thinkers, visit www.
generation and development. picture and support the pupils? solutionsfortheplanet.co.uk to find out more

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IGEMNews_S4TP.indd 2 12/03/2020 16:01