Digital talents of the Ortenau: School competition Do it enthusiastic!

Digital talents of the Ortenau: School competition Do it enthusiastic!

As part of the school competition "Do IT", which is organized by the Ortenau e.V. education region, a large number of remarkable projects were awarded again this year. The competition aims to promote the digital skills of young people in the Ortenau and found its third round in the school year 2023/2024. The award ceremony took place on October 1, 2024 in the Oken-Gymnasium in Offenburg and had the goal of particularly appreciating innovative ideas from students from various schools.

A total of 22 pupils from eight schools applied for creative solutions to tackle everyday problems with the help of digital technologies. The participants could choose between their own topic or the focus "Sustainable solutions in the digital age". An experienced jury took a close look at the submitted work after the closing date for submission and decided on the winners.

outstanding ideas and solutions

First place went to the project "Clever & Smart - the automation solution for emergency vehicles in the Ortenau in flood situations". This versatile project, which was developed as part of a course of the Hector Kinderakademie at the Biberach primary school, not only received prize money of 500 euros, but also the option of visiting the Xenoplex student research center in Gengenbach. The award was presented by Peter Pühler, a representative of Volksbank eG.

The second places, each with 150 euros and a visit to the student research center, went to the projects "Amphibi - Flexible on different surfaces" of the primary school Zusenhofen and "Amfi - garbage in the sea" from the elementary school Rammersweier. Both projects were awarded for their creative approaches to solve practical challenges. The satisfaction of the jury with the width of the ideas was reflected in the large number of the excellent projects.

In addition, the Offenburg University of Applied Sciences awarded a special prize for the “Amfi - garbage in the sea” team, which was awarded, as it were, by Prof. Jan Münchenberg. Another award was given to the project "Schippi - Shipp’s Weg", which gained the third main prize, which includes a visit to the Experimenta and the youth fort state competition. This project was developed by the students of the Hubert Burda School and once again shows the innovative strength of young heads.

At the award ceremony, the variety of topics, from automation of emergency vehicles to combating plastic waste in the sea, was particularly recognized. The special focus on the digital implementation of these ideas was a crucial criterion for the jury, which praised the skills and ingenuity of the participants.

an outlook on the upcoming round

The “Do IT” competition not only goes into the next round, but also offers students a platform to creatively deal with digital challenges. For the school year 2024/2025, the participants can again choose between a free topic and the given topic "Sustainability in the Ortenau". The Ortenau e.V. education region invites all students in grades 5 to 13 to submit their ideas and innovations

Participation in the competition not only offers the opportunity to gain certificates and material prizes, but also to establish valuable experiences and new contacts. Registrations are possible until June 30, 2025, and further information can be found on the website do-it-ortenau.de. With this competition, the Ortenau e.V.

These initiatives are not only important to promote the creative approaches of young people, but also to present such digital solutions that can actually make a sustainable contribution to improving the quality of life in the region. In this competition, the focus is on the talents and challenges in the digital age, and the enthusiasm of the participants shows that the next generations are willing to face these challenges.