大象传媒

Lucy and Lauren were members of a team in the 2015 , an event which helps young people see the wide range of career possibilities in science, engineering and technology. Their Medical Military Shuttle, a lightweight medical emergency kit, went on to win in the People’s Choice category.

Following the win, the girls have used their influence to inspire other girls, both in the UK and South America, to follow in their footsteps.

Lucy has become a TeenTech ambassador for digital skills and engineering. On an exchange trip to a school in Colombia, and without being asked, she ran an innovation session for the young girls, inspiring them to take up their own interest in technology.

The CEO of the Women’s Engineering Society was so impressed by how Lucy had enthused students at the school that she invited her to write for their blog.

Lauren has been awarded a prestigious Arkwright Scholarship to study engineering. She spent half term in a space lab, where she developed lesson plans for year 6 pupils, and delivered a space workshop to local primary schools in October.

Her lesson plans were selected as an example of best practice for the EU funded KIKS project, which challenges 14-16 year olds in Spain, Hungary, Finland and the UK to to inspire their peers or younger children to consider a career in engineering or technology.

Both girls have visited local primary schools to talk to students about science, technology and engineering. They’ve also opened a conference at The Science Museum in front of government and industry figures, promoting the need for teaching to change in order to provide more opportunities for project-based learning.

Lucy and Lauren have been powerful role models, encouraging students globally to see how they can build and design their own future. One such student, Alexandra, has since designed a cancer-detecting bra, winning the 2016 Wearable Technology Award thanks in no small part to the example they have set.

WeKonnekt

Hasan, Shayaan, Mohammed, Itesham and Luay are young digital entrepreneurs, from Luton, England. They are the team behind WeKonnekt - an app that connects, informs and empowers young carers.

Over 200,000 young people in the UK are solely responsible for caring for someone else. Because of these huge responsibilities, it's not uncommon for these young people to fall behind in school, find it difficult to make friends or feel alone and isolated. The team wanted to make an app to support them.

WeKonnekt helps young carers socialise with one another, as well as get the support they need in their day-to-day lives. Users can access peer support, as well as practical information like numbers and local pharmacy opening times.

The app has had hundreds of downloads in the UK and beyond, winning the people's Choice Award at the Apps For Good Awards in 2015. The team were invited to present their work to over 12,000 people in Wembley Arena, and have sparked an enormous interest in technology and entrepreneurship amongst their classmates at school.

Katie Emily, Josie and Alex are the team behind I'm Okay, an app that connects, informs and empowers lesbian, gay, transgender, bisexual and queer (LGBTQ) young people.

As part of Apps For Good, a course that empowers students to solve real-world problems through technology, they wanted to create an app to support young people exploring their sexuality and gender. Although this is a common experience for many teenagers, there is a limited availability of easily accessible resources.

Their website gathers real-life stories from young people about their sexuality and gender, which users can read to gain insight from people who've had similar experiences. The app also contains easy-to-understand definitions of LGBTQ terminology and links to helplines and resources.

So far the app has had nearly 4,000 downloads, and received support from famous faces such as Richard Branson and Stephen Fry. As well as helping young people understand their own sexuality, the team are challenging perceptions about what it means to be a technology entrepreneur.