The COVID-19 lockdown may have sequestered students, but it has not diminished their desire to make a difference in their communities. Divya Vaddavalli, Lavanika Sharma, Aarushi Wadhwa, and Siddhi Kabadi—all juniors at Westmont High School in Campbell—approached a teacher months ago with the idea for Inventavation.
“I was impressed when they said they wanted to start a club and invite students from other schools to participate,” says Gargi Verma, a chemistry teacher who has advised a number of student clubs including science, chess and Helping Hands.
Inventavation is organizing a free, two-day virtual conference where middle and high school students can form their own teams to try and solve a real-world problem of their choosing. The organizers say it is an ideathon, not a hackathon, and that proposed solutions must be feasible to implement. It is meant to spark creativity, as well as provide a learning experience for young people during the pandemic.
The event begins on Saturday, Feb. 20, when technology professionals and entrepreneurs are set to host free workshops on student entrepreneurship, pitching business ideas, presentation skills and landing internships. Participants need no prior knowledge of coding or entrepreneurship before the event, and no preparation ahead of time is required.
“From volunteering at local animal shelters to working with disabled children, I have noticed that there are several issues facing all sectors of society,” says organizer Aarushi Wadhwa. “Our aim is to provide students with a platform to turn their passion into action for the betterment of the community.”
The organizers encourage people to form small teams with their friends. “We would love it if they could join with their friends, or they could join our Slack community,” Lavanika Sharma says.
Teams from any school can join, and organizers emphasize the social aspect of the event and lack of stress placed on participants. The judges include professionals in the fields of finance, marketing, computer science, psychology, aerospace engineering and consulting. According to Verma, NASA has also expressed interest in the project.
“These four students have a strong background in participating in hackathons and ideathons and are well-suited to organize this event,” she adds.
Divya Vaddavalli has attended and organized similar events, while Siddhi Kabadi has participated in hackathons. Aarushi, an avid volunteer, is drawing upon her experience with ideathons.
“From pollution to homelessness, there are countless issues that many of us face,” Lavanika says. “Inventavation is a club that aims to help students find solutions to problems.”
Club members have contacted various school districts about participating, including San Jose Unified, Campbell Union and Los Gatos-Saratoga Union High School District, as well as those in Cupertino, Santa Clara and Palo Alto.
For more information on the club, visit https://bit.ly/inventavationtech. Register for the ideathon through Feb. 20 at http://bit.ly/inventavationtickets.
