10-21 years old? Be a COVID-19 problem solver! Brainstorm ideas + win $3,000!

The COVID-19 Challenge

On TIkTok, an idea to create a #washyourhands challenge has helped pass on the message of hand hygiene to millions of young people around the world - helping reduce the spread of Coronavirus!

Fantastic right? Now it’s your turn! A new program from Young Change Agents is offering students the chance to solve real-world problems that have been caused or compounded by the Coronavirus, and to develop their entrepreneurial capability!

This is a challenge you can do on your own or with a friend or a team. The top 20 ideas will get featured on the Young Change Agents website and social media channels and go in the running to win part of the $3,000 rewards pool!
You might even get connected to someone who can help you make your idea a reality!
All ideas must be submitted by 5.00pm 29 April 2020 to be considered so get onto it quick!

Young Change Agents
This competition is being delivered by Young Change Agents - a not-for-profit social enterprise that empowers young people across Australia to find problems in their community, reframe them as opportunities, and then come up with solutions.

Why is this important? All sorts of problems have emerged due to the coronavirus!

• People are isolated from their usual social circles

• People are more anxious and stressed

• Families are spending more time together indoors.

• Lockdowns and cancellations are reducing people’s work hours or in some cases causing unemployment (especially in industries like hospitality/creative industries like music/theatre and sport.

• People can’t access the things they want easily - toilet paper and pasta for example!

• Supply chains have been disrupted as we can’t trade or move goods as freely across borders

• Learning is moving more online and people don’t have access to tech or know how to use it!

• The list goes on!

Get ideas in by April 29 to be considered by the judging panel from Facebook, Microsoft and Telstra Foundation.

There will be two award categories:

1. 10-15 years old's (3 winners will be chosen)

2. 16-21 year old's (3 winners will be chosen)

Runners-Up will also receive a special reward for taking part and be featured on our site as a runner-up!

Winners will be announced on May 6. Judges decision is final! 

The challenge is simple

1. Identify a problem
Look around your community and identify some problems related to the Coronavirus that you want to solve. You might do this through talking to people you know about some of the problems they’re experiencing (we recommend using the phone or internet for this rather than going to see people in person). You might also do some online research about the problems that different groups (e.g. young people, old people, casual staff) are experiencing because of Coronavirus. Once you’ve found a few different problems think about the one you are the most passionate about.

2. Reframe it as an opportunity
Young Change Agents think about opportunities rather than problems. This helps you to be creative and innovate, rather than focus on a negative situation. To turn your problem into an opportunity you can think about what causes that problem and then how you can reframe it as an opportunity to create change. For example,  the Tik Tok #washyourhands problem was that the virus was spreading through hand contact. The opportunity was framed as, “How might we teach young people to wash their hands in a fun way?”. Try and write up your problem as an opportunity starting with, ‘How might we…?

3. Define your audience
To create a solution that will have a positive impact you need to think about who the impact is for. You can do this by thinking about the problem and who is actually experiencing it. Is it parents, young people, workers? Try and figure out the type of people that you want to help.

4. Come up with some ideas
Now is the time to be creative! Get a notebook, post-its or some coloured paper and come up with as many ideas as you can. Imagine you have one million dollars and you can do anything you want. Imagine you had to use tech to do it. Then imagine you had no access to tech..what would you do? Push yourself to come up with at least ten different ideas. Then take a break and try and come up with even more! Think about your audience you chose and how you could best help them. Once you’ve got a lot of ideas choose the one you think would best solve your opportunity. This is your solution.

5. Test your solution
Before you share your ideas, it’s a good idea to test and improve them. For example, you might talk to your parents about the opportunity you’ve found and your idea and ask for some feedback. This can help you to make your idea even better. You might also try and talk to some people that are your audience - someone who would be impacted by your opportunity. Don’t forget to try and avoid close contact with people and use the internet and the phone where possible.

6. Share!
Now that you’ve got an idea, jump on the Young Change Agents application page and submit!
Good luck!