Organizers promise exciting surprises at Wednesday’s Youth Innovation Fair

November 9, 2018 · 0 Comments

By Brock Weir

Whether they have been working in the classroom or on their own time, local youth have been working on innovations they hope will have a positive impact on the world around them – and this Wednesday will be their time to shine as the Town of Aurora hosts the second annual Youth Innovation Fair.
Set to take place at the Aurora Family Leisure Complex on November 14 from 6 – 9 p.m., it is an opportunity for Junior (Grades 4 – 6), Intermediate (Grades 7 – 9), and Senior (Grades 10 – 12) students to share ideas and learn from others. Cash prizes will be awarded for Most Innovative, Community Leadership, and Eco-Friendly innovations and inventions.
“We’re really excited this event is coming back for a second year,” says Julie Stephenson, Youth Coordinator for the Town of Aurora. “With our second year of registration, we were kind of curious as to what ideas and inventions youth would come back with and we have quite an exciting lineup.”
There has been an upturn in registration this year, she adds, as well as an uptick in innovations intended to have a positive impact on the environment and the community.
“As an example, we have the 100 Youth Who Care group who have entered an idea; I don’t want to give the idea away, but we’re very excited to have them as part of our fair,” says Ms. Stephenson. “We also have a number of kids participating either in smaller groups or by themselves, and it is exciting to see youth take that brave step and put ideas out there into the community.”
This year’s fair has also added to the judging panel. In its inaugural year, slated to coincide with the Canada 150 Celebrations, four judges – including Mayor Geoff Dawe – took in each of the booths and rendered their decisions. This year, the judging panel has been expanded to eight members featuring a cross section of different industries and backgrounds, as well as a youth judge, who will split off and judge specific age groups.
The 2018 Youth Innovation Fair is sponsored by the Aurora Mayor’s Charity Golf Classic, Desjardins Insurance, and the Rotary Club of Aurora.
For more information, visit aurora.ca/youthinnovation or call 905-726-4760.