Innovation camp at International Summer School
What would you do if you had 24 hours to save the world? Learn how the students at HIOA Summer School faced the challenge.
International summer school is arranged this year as the fifth in a road. The students are offered a meeting place where students from all over the world study together for a period of three weeks. The main goal with the summer school is internationalisation. This is achieved by using the knowledge that the students bring, into the lecturing.
This summer, 63 students participate in one of the five different courses offered; LATINA- Learning and Teaching in a Digital world, Philosophy in Preschool and School, International Public Health, Globalisation and Development, Network and System Administration and Universal Design. Several students every year get the opportunity to attend the innovation camp.
Innovation camp
It is the courses International Public Health and Globalisation and Development that arrange innovation camp on the fourth year, and is organized in co-operation with Kim Østberg Larsen, advisor in Young Innovationship. Young Innovationship is an ideal, nation-wide organisation that together with schools, industry and commerce, and other agents work to develop creativity, innovation and the joy of creating.
The goal with an innovation camp at International summer school
- The goal is to accomplish creativity and innovation for instance in the students local societies, says Jorid Grimeland, project coordinator in the course International Public Health. “Act locally, think globally”, is a slogan she tells her students. Grimeland believes that the different approaches to the problems in which the students work with at innovation camp, gives them relevant knowledge and the ability to develop creativity, curiosity and innovation. She thinks that these are important elements in the education process that can be transferred to the working life.
Different topics
Four groups were given their assignments Thursday morning. Among these were the challenges of developing policies to support maternal & child health, and challenges in changing animal practice management and negotiating the implementation of IPH, some of the topics the students could choose from. The groups now have only 24 hours to develop a project, and save the world. A group of four students were already working hard on their project when I met them Thursday morning.
This group had chosen to work with the topic zoonosis, and especially with regards to sheep husbandry in India. The students exchanged knowledge from their home countries, searched for literature and developed their business plan. The conclusion was clear; working with the innovation camp is motivating, engaging and very educational. Their business plan has to be ready and presented to the jury 10 AM next morning.
Can knitting give hope?
Two winners are going to be acclaimed. One winner will be based on the jury’s evaluation, while the other will be decided by the audience. After the projects were presented, the jury could appoint a winner. Criteria were originality, sustainability and if there were a good execution. Based on these, one group stood out and received both the first price of the jury and was also the audience favourite.
The winning project had the catchy name “Knitting Hope” and was based on developing women’s knowledge on health and education, combined with the making and retail of traditional handicraft in Ethiopia. The product they planned to create was knitted cell-phone and laptop protectors. Maybe the concept will be implemented, maybe not. However, the students now have an awareness of how innovation and making the world better can be knitted together.