JA Cyprus Third Bi Communal Innovation Camp

OVER 90 STUDENTS FROM ACROSS THE ISLAND PARTICIPATED IN THE 3^RD ANNUAL JUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT CYPRUS BI-COMMUNAL INNOVATION CAMP

On Friday, 4 November, the third Junior Achievement Cyprus Bi-communal Innovation Camp took place at the University of Nicosia. The Innovation Camp aimed at encouraging young people to use their skills in enterprising and innovative ways, fostering their employability and entrepreneurial flair in the process. The participants were made up of 93 Greek-Cypriot and Turkish-Cypriot students,
aged between 15 and 18, from private high schools from all over Cyprus, accompanied by their teachers. In groups of 4-5 persons, the students were asked to come up with an answer to a business challenge unveiled to them on the same day. The challenge, which focused on social entrepreneurship, required the students to suggest an innovative product, service or solution that would address a specific social issue in Cyprus and create a positive impact on society.
Students had only a few hours to learn to work as a team with other students they had not met before, and to collectively shape their ideas, in order to propose an innovative solution that could be applied to the case of Cyprus. At the end of the day, all teams presented their solutions (products/ services/ innovations) to a panel of experts. The presentations and jury questions which followed were in English. The winning team will take part in an international student programme next summer,
while the second and third place winners received gift vouchers provided by Cyta. The event was supported by the US Embassy in Nicosia.

JA Cyprus is supported by:
• Strategic Partner: Piraeus Bank Cyprus
• Partners: Cyta, MetLife and PwC Cyprus
• Supporters: University of Nicosia, MS Jacovides and AoN Hewitt
• Institutional Partner: Ministry of Education and Culture


The winners of the third Bi-Communal Innovation Camp are:

1st prize: “BioHome” - A small, low-cost wind turbine that can generate 3-5 kW hours of electricity daily, which is the average amount needed for a small or big house.
The team consisted of: 
Deren Demillier (GAU American Future College), Koray Alper Ibrahim (English School of Kerynia), Maria Michaelidou (GC School of Careers Nicosia), Efran Mohseni, (Pascal English School Limassol).
 
2nd prize: “www.LGBTCyprus.org” – A not-for-profit movement in the form of a website that aims to inform and promote social equality of people of different sexualities in Cyprus.
 
The team consisted of: 
Esra Cinar (TED Northern Cyprus College), Anatoli Pashias (IMS Private School Limassol), Lucas Phanis (English School Nicosia), Daniel Tolga Todd (English School Kyrenia), Selin Tursun (Eastern Mediterranean Doğa College).
 
3rd prize: “Catalytic Converter Improvement Motor” - An emissions control device that converts toxic gases and pollutants in exhaust gas to less toxic pollutants by catalyzing a redox reaction.
 
The team consisted of:
Georgia Demetriou (GC School of Careers Nicosia), Panos Gialouridis (Pascal
English School Limassol)
Esma Asena Goker (English School Kyrenia), Berkay Neval Nuri (English School
Nicosia).
 
We would like to congratulate the team of English School Students that participated in JA Cyprus' Third Bi-Communal Innovation Camp.
 
Our students behaved impeccably and demonstrated that they had the skills of collaborative learners, team-players, critical and creative thinkers. We are pleased to state that 3 of our students were in the Teams that made it to Second Place and Third Place of the competition!
 
Congratulations to all. 
 
The English School Team included Adil Bey, Doruk Ayoglu, Berk Akcaba, Lucas Phanis, Dimitris Xenophontos, Andreas Stylianou, Efthchia Nicolaidou, Antonis Hadjiosif, Ozgun Mehmetoglu, Berkay Neval Nuri, Kalliop Panayiotdou, Emmanuel Agapiou.
 
 
JA Cyprus (www.jacyprus.org) is a member of Junior Achievement (JA) Worldwide, a global non-profit organization specialized in youth entrepreneurship education, that aims in equipping young people with entrepreneurial, financial literacy and work readiness skills.