Client

Services

Year

GIMI Impact

GIMI Impact Training

An innovation training program for children and youth

About the project

The Smart Waterloo Region is the first region in the World to adopt the GIMI IMPACT Program. Smart Waterloo Region is collaborating with the Waterloo Region District School Board (WRDSB)to provide GIMI IMPACT Innovation Training to Children, Youth and Senior Staff. Smart Waterloo Region piloted GIMI Impact to 400 school students (including elementary and secondary schools) and 20 teachers. Teachers and students alike enjoyed the training, and have stated the importance of innovation training to unlock the element of compassion. GIMI Impact training involved 3 school boards in the Waterloo Region, including the French, Catholic and Public School boards. There was a combination of rural and urban schools to achieve diversity of ideas from students.

The innovation process

The innovation team at Smart Waterloo Region Innovation Lab (SWIRL) conducted innovation training for teachers. These teachers used the GIMI Innovation Framework to train students on innovation. After the training sessions were conducted, students were provided the opportunity to collaborate and come up with pilot ideas that could be implemented in a hyper-localized scale in the Waterloo Region. Students were also provided the opportunity to present and pitch their ideas to the SWRIL'S innovation team. The innovation team was highly impressed at the thoughtful and innovative ideas that the school students came up with.

The results

We funded some of the ideas and helped create new youth-led initiatives! These ideas are by youth and children, for youth and children in the Region. These ideas are socially and technologically innovative that will change lives to make Waterloo the best region for children and youth. Take a look at some of the pilots below :) 

Our partners

Awards

This GIMI Impact Training won an award for innovation at the Innova Flanders 2022 conference in Belgium. It is an innovation congress on the global stage.

Key takeaways

The GIMI Impact Training is a very cool project! We have received great feedback from Children and youth, teachers, and senior staff at the school boards throughout the Region of Waterloo.

Learnings

The GIMI Impact Training taught us that children and youth will surprise you! They exceed our expectations and made this project shine :) 

If we could time-travel and start this project again...

  • We would start the program in the fall
  • Have more students in elementary and secondary school
  • Make the program more youth friendly

Thanks to...

Thank you to Jahmeeks, Grayson, and the entire GIMI Impact team! A special thanks goes to Ashleigh-Ann, Jumanah, and Elizabeth for helping to support! We appreciate all of your hard work <3

Now what?

The GIMI Impact Training was available in a few select schools in the Region of Waterloo, we are expanding this in the coming school year! There will be many more students participating in the program. Do you want to have GIMI Impact Innovation Training Program at your school? Contact us!

Latest works

Image of two phones with an app running. The app has a map in the background and a chat bot answering questions.
Data Playground
A chat bot that can speak to users like a human and help them find services.
Image of two phones with an app running. The app has a map in the background and a chat bot answering questions.
Data Playground
A translation tool that supports voice, file and keyboard input with 27 commonly used language types around the Waterloo Region.