Two innovative Year 6 students in the Primary School at Matthew Flinders Anglican College are the Runner-Up winners of the Future Anything National Grand Finals for 2024, held at The Triffid in Brisbane on Tuesday, 19 November.
The Grand Final was the culmination of Future Anything’s Activate program to develop innovative, scalable, and sustainable solutions to problems they care about. All of Flinders' Year 6 students participated in the program as part of their Term 3 curriculum, guided by the College's dedicated and passionate Year 6 teaching team and leadership team.
The winners were unveiled to a live audience of over 250 guests at the inspirational finals event while hundreds more watched online. Find the full event wrap-up by Future Anything here.
Flinders students Jesse B and Jack F were awarded second place for their ‘Safe Surf’ prototype (see below), an innovative inflatable rash vest and a GPS wristband that boosts surfer and swimmer safety at the beach.
Flinders had four Year 6 teams, made up of eight students, showcase their diverse and impactful projects at this year’s National Grand Finals, highlighting the College’s commitment to nurturing students’ entrepreneurial skills and character.
Alongside Jesse and Jack, the showcase event saw Zara R, Willow C and Asher K present their project, The Coral Cuties; Lawson W and Callan B present The Contaminated Canals; and Leila S with her Stress Less project. Also, Isabel W was successful in progressing to the semi finals with her Screen Time Browser prototype.
To learn more about their projects, see below.
Flinders' Highlights of the National Grand Finals
In the event’s six-year history, Surf Safe was the first Primary school team to pitch in the National Grand Final, competing against students across Years 8-10.
And this year, Flinders was the only Primary School to have progressed to both the Showcase Finals and the Pitch Finals of the Activate program.
These achievements build on the College’s success at the same event in 2023, where three Year 6 students won First Place, People’s Choice and Runners-Up awards of the Showcase Finals. Also, the Flinders Year 6 Primary teaching team was named the ‘Educator Team of the Year’ at the Future Anything 2023 Educator Awards. Learn more here.
Head of Primary, Mrs Trudi Edwards said the Year 6 cohort should be proud of their collective efforts, creativity and courage in participating in Future Anything’s Activate Program.
“For the second year in a row, all of our Year 6 students have embraced the opportunity to solve real world issues that are meaningful to them personally and will help to make the world a better place,” Mrs Edwards said.
“It is wonderfully rewarding for our teaching team to support the students through the Activate journey, where they must empathise, ideate and prototype to create solutions,” she said.
“Flinders is committed to being a leader in human-centered design thinking to inspire our students to build the skills that young people need to thrive in our ever-evolving world.”
Future Anything is an Australian educational start-up founded by Nicole Dyson which aims to “unleash students’ passion, potential and agency in every classroom”.
Nic Dyson expressed thanks for the support crew at the National Grand Final, which she noted involved “incredible educators, parents, caregivers, friends, mentors and supporters who championed our young people and their ideas”.
The event was sponsored by the Queensland Government, through the Department of the Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation (DETSI), while a host of epic organisations contributed prizes to support the school-age entrepreneurs.
Design Thinking in the Curriculum
In Term 3, students in Year 6 at Flinders incorporated their learning in HASS, Science, Design Technologies and Digital Technologies to respond to the Activate program challenge: “As an entrepreneur, pitch an innovative social enterprise that makes the world a better place.”
The outcome saw the students form 56 project groups and develop their ideas into products or services. Students then had to submit their ideas to the Activate judges, including a video pitch to persuade the judges to select their social enterprise from a pool of over 260 teams nationwide.
Students also showcased their bright ideas to their parents, students and staff at a special in-classroom event upon completion of the Activate program at the end of Term 3.
FLINDERS TEAMS IN THE NATIONAL FINALS
The following Year 6 teams in the Flinders Primary School were successful in progressing to the semi finals and national finals.
Safe Surf: Jesse B and Jack F, Year 6 - RUNNER UP WINNERS, 2024
On the main stage, the Safe Surf team pitched their innovative inflatable and reusable rash shirt equipped with a GPS wristband for enhanced beach safety. Designed to work with on-duty lifeguards, this product alerts lifesavers to people in distress and keeps them afloat while awaiting rescue. As the first Primary School team to compete at this level, they were outstanding and claimed the Runner-Up position. This achievement secured Jess and Jack a $1,500 grant and a suite of support services, including entry into the Youth X entrepreneurial program.
The Coral Cuties: Zara R, Willow C and Asher K
Zara, Willow and Asher charmed the showcase floor with their crochet sea animals, designed to raise awareness about oceanic plastic waste. Their vision extends to using recycled plastic for creating crochet hooks, enhancing the sustainability of their kits, with profits supporting the Seabin Project and the Australian Marine Conservation society.
The Contaminated Canals: Lawson W and Callan B
Lawson and Callan addressed pollution issues through an engaging educational board game. Their prototype, developed with 3D-printing and laser cutting, consulted with local Sunshine Coast game store Amazen for refinement. The game's compostable nature, thanks to its seeded biodegradable paper, underscored their commitment to an environmentally conscious product.
Stress Less: Leila S
As part of her Stress Less project, Leila offered a variety of slimes and playables at the Showcase market, targeting stress relief among young people. Her dedication to mental wellbeing is a testament to the empathy and care our students embody. Leila has already successfully sold her products at the Fisherman's Road Markets on the Sunshine Coast.
The Screen Time Browser: Isabel W
Isabel’s fascinating project made it into the semi-finals. The Screen Time Browser aims to improve the social skills of young people and reduce their screen time.
To learn more about the Flinders Primary School, visit here.
