Get excited: Climate-KIC Summer School 2016 application is open now!Our former student assistant Silvia recalls her participation experience of 2015

20. Januar 2016

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We were all leaning against a u-shaped stair railing on Imperial College’s courtyard, looking down curiously while holding up our team’s strange looking paper constructions. It was the first day of Journey 7’s summer school program and in teams we’ve been challenged by our coaches to prevent an egg from getting destroyed in a 3-4m downfall by protecting it with provided materials – old newspaper, balloons, tape and some straws. In the end, all 7 eggs remained unharmed and we celebrated our victories. However, back in the building, our coaches told us, that even though the eggs survived we did not really succeed in our task. All of us had used up every last bit of the provided material. Not because the eggs wouldn’t have survived with less protection – I’m sure they would have – but because we all wanted to be sure; because the objective of the task was simply to protect the egg and not to save it with using as less material as possible. We were here because we all wanted to make a difference in the world. We were 42 young people from 22 countries educated in climate change and sustainability one way or another, all believing in change and a more sustainable future. Yet, in our endeavor to save the egg, none of our teams was concerned about saving resources. We had all been concerned about winning the game. Now, we all had something to think about.
This is only one of many valuable memories I brought home from my 5 weeks summer school program ‘The Journey’, organized by Climate-KIC. It aims at promoting climate innovation in a 5 weeks program at the end of which participants present their own business ideas in a business plan as well as in a pitch in front of a jury. In total, 8 groups of about 40 young students from all around the world traveled through Europe last summer learning about climate change, global challenges, innovation and entrepreneurship. My Journey took me to London (UK), Lund (SE) and Copenhagen (DK). I was nervous and excited before I left Hamburg, not really knowing what to expect from all of it. I had read some big words in the preparation materials they had sent out to us, such as ‘demanding’ or ‘intense’. They turned out to be true in the best of ways.
In 5 weeks we got to listen to and discuss with a lot of knowledgeable and inspiring scientists, coaches, entrepreneurs and innovators. We learned a lot about challenges our planet is facing and additionally got to immerse ourselves in these topics in a way very different from a general university classroom – the egg challenge was just the start of a series of interesting and hands-on experiences of our summer school. At the end of week 1 we started working on our own business ideas in teams of 3 to 5 people, nevertheless we continued to be one big group until the end. Collaboration, not competition, was the spirit. We learned to respond to new ideas and thoughts with a ‘Yes, and…’ instead of a ‘But…’. We learned that discovering people’s unrecognized problems might be a better way to come up with innovative ideas than to jump to theoretical solutions right away. We got to work hard on our projects and had to reevaluate and adapt our ideas and business models many times throughout the process. Most of all, we were amazed by how fast we got to call a group of strangers family after only 5 weeks together. Eventually, we all presented something we could be very proud of. Three of our teams continued working on their business ideas in the one-year Climate-KIC Green House program recently. I’m convinced that I’m not only speaking for myself but for all of us when I say that the Climate-KIC Journey was one of the best experiences of my life and that it brought me memories, friends and insights I’ll hold dear forever. Last summer taught me that together every one of us can make a difference. Hold on to your ambitions and start making the world more aware and better with your ideas. As keynote speaker Ed Gillespie said to us on our first day in London: “We need to make sustainability so desirable it becomes the new normal.” The Journey is a great inspiration and opportunity to connect young people with a shared vision and set them on that path.

You find more information on The Journey Summer School 2016 and the application process here.