On Friday 19 July, Crazy Ideas College (CIC) hosted an exciting Ideas2Life Lab with Year 8 and 9 students from Ararat College and Marian College. Building on the success of the Term 2 Ararat Social Innovators program, the students came together for an action-packed workshop featuring five community partners from the Ararat community.
The student groups received support and expertise from a panel comprising Mayor Bob Sanders, Deputy Mayor Jo Armstrong, Bob from Ararat Council, Teli Kaur from Ararat Neighbourhood House, Jane Moriarty from Central Grampians Local Learning and Employment Network, and Shannon McGrath from Gason. Their guidance was invaluable as the students worked on bringing their ideas to life.
The day kicked off with a high-energy challenge in which groups competed to create the tallest marshmallow tower. While different from the main ideas the students are developing, this fun task taught some key lessons in teamwork, problem-solving and collaborating with community members.
For the challenge, students created annotated sketches of their ideas, identified specific resources needed, and mapped out how to acquire them. This hands-on activity provided valuable skills in project planning and resource management.
The teams practiced approaching community partners with their idea proposals, negotiating arrangements that benefited both parties. The challenge continued with a fast-paced prototype build using materials like paper cups, string, paper straws, balloons, pipe cleaners, and masking tape. This put the students’ time management and communication skills to the test.
During a quick debrief, community partners and students reflected on effective strategies to excite partners about an idea, professional communication, and the importance of just getting moving if you have an idea, as others can often be eager to assist.
These exercises transitioned towards the teams focusing on their smart start experiments (developed during the Term 2 Social Innovators program). Students applied the skills and knowledge gained from the marshmallow challenge to their projects aimed at benefiting the Ararat community. The community partners offered valuable knowledge, professionalism and connections to support the teams during the planning and resource preparation phases.
All teams left the workshop equipped with new skills and capabilities for bringing their ideas to life, along with new connections to help them improve the lives of their fellow citizens in Ararat.
This program was proudly enabled by Ararat Rural City Council, and delivered as part of the Ararat Youth Activators program. We look forward to seeing the positive impact our students will make with their innovative ideas.
