structural development

Last Thursday evening the time had come: the 2nd Innovation Challenge concluded with the pitch, the presentation of the developed ideas to a jury.

The Innovation Challenge Lausitz (ICL), organized by the innovation team of the Structural Change Task Force of the Lower Silesian Upper Lusatia Development Association (ENO), offers companies, associations and municipalities in the district the opportunity to address challenges using new approaches. These challenges are aimed at heterogeneously composed teams of committed citizens of the Görlitz district , who came together in a kick-off meeting in January following the ENO's call . The participants were able to strengthen their problem-solving skills by learning to work with coaches, other creative people and new strategic thinking approaches. They come from different areas, including schoolchildren , students , young and employees of regional institutions. Here you find detailed information .

Structural developer with a passion for innovation: Wilhelmine Buscha

We spoke to ENO project manager Wilhelmine Buscha about the successful evening in the Hillerschen Villa in Zittau .

Hello Wilhelmine, the 2nd ICL concluded yesterday .
How were the teams' presentations, what innovative ideas can the challengers be excited about?

Wilhelmine Buscha: The jury was extremely impressed by the ideas presented during the competition. Because they were really exciting challenges for the two teams. These were submitted by the 's care and adoption department and the Upper Lusatian District Sports Association . After thorough examination and discussion the basic tasks in the process were refined in order to better meet the underlying needs of challengers and the target group and thereby improve the feasibility and effectiveness of the ideas.

( Click here for coverage of the kick-off for the 2nd ICL - please click and scroll down )

The jury (from left): Antje Klose, Manuela Thomas and Tim Berndt

You were able to attract illustrious jury members...

Yes, we are very pleased that Tim Berndt , the managing director of the development company Cottbus mbH and board member of the Lausitz eV economic initiative , as well as Antje Klose , the head of the structural development, economic development and international relations department, and Manuela Thomas , the managing director of the Lausitz social network were there .

Please briefly outline the tasks that the teams had to solve

The first task was to find ways in which we could arouse the interest of people and families in the Görlitz district in taking in foster children . It wasn't just about providing information, but also about creating awareness of the importance and different aspects of foster parenting.

The second challenge was to encourage children in third and fourth grades to decide to join a sports club. This required a creative approach to address the children where they often spend time and where they are open to new impulses. This task was submitted by the Upper Lusatian District Sports Association .

The ideas were developed as part of an intensive design thinking process that included various creative methods and approaches. This process was accompanied by a specially created method booklet that served as a guide for the teams. The ideas were presented in the form of pitches, in which each team presented their concepts and prototypes. These were carefully examined and evaluated by the jury . In the end, two first prizes were awarded, one for the Innovation Challenge and one for digital innovation.

How did the team approach the foster child challenge?

The winning idea impressed with its holistic approach. She combined targeted marketing with experiential events to appeal to people on an emotional level and raise their awareness of the topic. The implementation should using creative means : (washable chalk) footprints ( which are of course reminiscent of our district's “footprint logo” ) onto sidewalks, parking lots or the property of the event venue in order to attract attention - of course only there Where it is permitted or permitted for a good cause . It was tried out yesterday – and it worked! In addition, film evenings to raise awareness of the topic - and afterwards there should be .

The presentation showed that even world-famous personalities were once foster children

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great ideas! And what was developed by the other team for the Upper Lusatian District Sports Association?

The idea for the Upper Lusatian District Sports Association was also received positively and was awarded a special prize for digital innovation. The task focused on addressing children there - where they are fully attentive and, for example , like at the doctor , have to wait . The dedicated team wants to “pick you up” there . a coloring book was developed with the dragon Kasimir, who gets to know all kinds of sports. QR codes in the booklet then lead directly to a website where you can find information about all sports and filter it by sport or location in order to find the right club directly . And of course the little dragon should have a little dragon friend at his side, because it's not just sport that's nicer with two, that's the message.

Overall, the competition was a complete success and showed how creative and innovative
people from different backgrounds can be when it comes to tackling social challenges and finding solutions.

Thank you very much , Wilhelmine!
We look forward to seeing the implementation of these ideas.

The ENO Structural Change Task Force provides information about other exciting citizen participation formats . It's worth checking out regularly! And: You can sign up for our UBL newsletter here .

We would like to invite you to the next Lausitz Café - to our entertaining series of events that occurs every two months, in which we discuss specific questions related to selected key topics of structural change.
In 2024 we will take the event series to the entire Görlitz district and invite you to the Kulturfabrik Meda in Mittelherwigsdorf on Tuesday, April 9th, 2024. Click here for registration!

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