New England young people are invited to register for the inaugural Youth Innovation Summit – a key part of UNE SMART Region Incubator’s Scorched project.

Students and other young people (15-18 years) are invited to catapult themselves into the world of innovation by finding business solutions to bushfire challenges. The Summit provides a fantastic opportunity for young people who want to take climate action, were impacted by the 2019/2020 bushfire season, or have worked on or dreamed of making their own business or side hustle.

Well-known entrepreneur educator Adam Mostogl will facilitate the Summit, drawing on his experience and expertise as Chief Entrepreneur of ‘The Van Diemen Project’ and Founder of ‘Illuminate Education Australia’.

Young people will meet founders of start-up companies growing solutions to real world climate challenges. They will share their own experiences of the drought and bushfire, and meet firefighters who struggled to manage the impact. They will have the chance to experiment with solutions to the challenges that our community, firefighters and land managers experienced throughout one of Australia’s most devastating bushfires and help to prepare for a changing climate.

At the end of the two days, participants will pitch their ideas to key members of our community – such as from Armidale Regional Council, Rural Fire Service, Landcare, CWA and others driving change.