High school student launches 1st-ever problem-solving competition
High school senior at the Georgetown International Academy, Athrav Kotehal Gowdara is pacing ahead with his implementation of Ideathon Guyana.
The country’s first-ever problem-solving competition challenges youths between the ages of 14 and 21 to work in teams to generate creative solutions to build strong prosperous communities in Guyana.
Ideathon Founder/CEO Athrav Kotehal Gowdara
Participants of this event will work in groups consisting of 2-5 members. Alternatively, youths can join as individuals, in which case, event organisers will assign them to teams in order to maximise diversity.
Ideathon in collaboration with several Government agencies has placed emphasis on four major sectors in Guyana that would be suitable for the competition as Health, Education, Entrepreneurship, and Environment.
For each of these sectors, participants will be given a problem statement for which they will have to find a solution. The proposed summary, which is expected to be submitted by Friday, December 9, 2022, will determine who is selected to go through to the next stage of the competition.
Both the final and semi-final will be held at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC), Liliendaal, Greater Georgetown, on Sunday, December 11, 2022.
This will see the participation of 35-40 teams in the semi-final round in the morning, half of which will be selected for the finals later that afternoon.
Present at the competition will be mentors to assist youths in pitching their ideas to judges and the audience and to give them guidance.
There will also be cash prizes to be won, trophies, and certificates. Additionally, the Ideathon team has been flexible with the age limits and encourages persons who are just above or below the range to register.
Kotehal Gowdara, who is the son of a diplomat, came to Guyana and was adamant to do something for the country through his youth. He came up with Ideathon to encourage youths to join hands to solve real-world challenges affecting Guyana through human-centred design which will ultimately build a better Guyana.
