Youth Venture: New Inventors and New Ideas

This morning's panel of young inventors from the Youth Venture program was one of the highlights of the conference. Youth Venture is a project started by Ashoka to encourage and reward invention among 16-25-year-olds. In cooperation with MTV and The Lemelson Foundation, Youth Venture produced a half-hour documentary on the inventors that's currently making the rounds on MTV in Latin America. Youth Venture has also produced two e-books with featured and interviews on the inventors and their ideas.

Charles Tsai and Marina Mansilla have spent the past year working with inventors from all around the world between the ages of 16 and 25. Interestingly, the conference was actually the first time Charles and Marina had met in person.

Each young inventor briefly described his or her innovation, and the depth and breadth of their ideas are humbling. Many of the inventors' projects were based on needs that had arisen in their own lives, but even more importantly, it was clear that they were thinking holistically about the needs of their communities. As Charles pointed out in his introduction, part of what's exciting about these inventions is that they're indicative of a new generation eager to use their ideas to make big changes in their communities and world.

For instance, Shailesh Upadhyay (23, Velore, India) found it difficult to study in the evenings at his home in rural India. Electric light was prone to frequent outages, and kerosene lamps were unwieldy and dangerous (not to mention their environmental footprint). He and Ujala Shanker (24, Velore, India) developed a system whereby they could use the battery in a tractor to power a fluorescent light at night. That alone is a great idea, but what makes it a world-changing idea is that now they're installing the system in homes throughout the village. That's a great example of inventors recognizing a need in their own lives and using it to change an entire community.

Eden Full (18, Calgary, Canada) developed a solar panel that captures 40% more energy than traditional panels by following the sun throughout the day. Her idea doesn't use a motor; only the natural heat-sensitivity of metal. Eden captured the spirit of the entire session, saying, "Have faith in us. We want to do something that matters."

Charles and Marina are both quick to admit that they're not as knowledgeable as the young inventors they're ostensibly mentoring. "You can leave a lot of the problem-solving to the young people," Charles said. "What they really need is a champion; someone saying, 'We believe in you.'"

Charles has put together a report (407 KB PDF) with information on each of the young inventors who came to Hyderabad. I highly recommend that you take a look at it. These aren't just the inventors of the future; they're the inventors changing the world right now.