LOCAL COMPETITIONS AND INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION IN BELGIUM
Between February and March 2022 the partners of SdE project piloted SdE study unit with their pupils. The piloting was meant to prove the effectiveness and validity of the materials, that was tested through ex-ante and ex-post impact surveys both with teachers and students.
After SdE classes, each school involved in the project piloted a local competition, based on a sustainability challenge given by a local company. The sectors and challenges choosen for the piloting were different in each school (e.g. tech, waste management, business&administration, healthcare) but they were all driven to sustainability.
Each school rewarded the group of students who came up with the best solution to the sustainability challenge and the prize was the chance to travel to Belgium for an international competition.
From 28th to 31st March 2022, 25 students from Finland, Italy, The Netherlands and Spain met in Belgium, in the city of Aalst, in one of the campus of HoGent school. The international students joined 80 Belgian students for an overnight hackathon, led by the company BlueHealth Innovation Center together with HoGent.
The students were given 4 different challenges on healthcare innovation, that they had to develop using their acquired knowledge on sustainability-driven entrepreneurship.
They were divided in small groups who worked all night long – from late afternoon to the following morning. The results were then pitched around 6am to a committee made up of company representatives and teachers and the best ideas were awarded.
Both students and teachers were very glad to meet up after such a long period without international experiences and face-to-face meetings.
Here you can watch a video of the international competition held in HoGent, Belgium: link (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1pNtDPri5aLZJZsDhrF19ZFjdA5NQCtQ_/view?fbclid=IwAR0rF8R5UVf6d5KuejcTVXv5y7N-lVjWprinzOSX-qeJRtaEW2CmZHbeRLw).