How do you encourage young people to take up sports, engage with culture, or adopt healthier habits? In Liberec, students had 24 hours to come up with answers. A total of 63 high school and university students took part in the sixth edition of the Liberec Ideathon competition, presenting concrete and inventive solutions for the region. The jury was most impressed by the TULgether and Linserka HUB applications. The competition took place at the 101010 Cultural Centre in Vratislavice and was organised by the Regional Development Agency, CzechInvest and the Liberec Region.
Twenty-one student teams tackled four challenges set by partners from public administration and the education sector – the Liberec Region, the Technical University of Liberec, and the cities of Liberec and Jablonec nad Nisou.
“I see this as a great opportunity to give young people a chance to have a say in what is happening around us. I believe the ideas from the Ideathon will find practical use in the Liberec Region,” emphasised Governor Martin Půta.
The organisers from the Regional Development Agency, CzechInvest and the Liberec Region presented the young participants with tasks that could influence quality of life in the region. The teams developed projects focused on health literacy among the younger generation, increasing the attractiveness of university education for high school students, strengthening community life around the Linserka centre, and engaging young people in the celebrations marking the 160th anniversary of the city of Jablonec nad Nisou.
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Victory in the university category went to Team Girlboss, made up of Lucie Farská, Aneta Červová, Monika Křenková and Jan Novák. They won over the jury with their well-thought-out concept for the TULgether app. The application is intended to help university students who enjoy sports find partners for shared activities, thereby supporting a healthier student community life.
“What motivates us is the knowledge that we can create something and actually make a difference in the region. We would definitely recommend taking part to our peers: don’t be afraid to give it a try and go all in,” the successful university students agreed. Their advice for winning? “Choose a topic you genuinely enjoy!”
In the high school category, the winning team was Bambája from the Secondary School of Engineering in Liberec. Students Jakub Jezbera, Adéla Jiroušková and Oliver Morávek came up with a functional prototype of the LinserkaHUB app. It could become the main information channel for the new Linserka cultural and creative centre, bringing in visitors while also supporting connections within the local creative community.
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The jury also recognised the team of Daniel Březina and Nelly Pražáková for their project Questora. They focused on promoting a healthier lifestyle among the younger generation. Their proposal is based on the principle of so-called “side quests”, or small challenges familiar to younger people from gaming environments. These challenges motivate users to complete tasks.
“We realised that young people do not actively seek out information about health. So we wanted to take a different approach – motivating them towards exercise and healthier habits through tasks where they can challenge each other together with friends,” explains Daniel Březina.
Art you can experience even without sight
The jury’s university special award went to the team of Tereza Sedláčková, Veronika Havlová and Hana Šteklová for their proposal of an inclusive project for the Linserka cultural centre. Their concept is built around an interactive exhibition that would make art accessible to people with disabilities while also offering a new kind of experience to the wider public.
The project works with the principle of engaging all the senses and allows visitors to perceive the space differently – for example through guided tours with vision obscured or tours led by people with different types of disabilities. The proposal also includes a longer-term transformation of the space, including more inclusive navigation, as well as the involvement of the local young artistic community.
From idea to implementation
Liberec Ideathon once again showed that young people are capable of coming up with surprisingly thoughtful and practical solutions. It is now up to the organisers and the competition’s partners to see whether these student ideas can be put into practice.
That already seems possible, for example, in last year’s winning project focused on making the Regional Research Library in Liberec more attractive. An online escape game featuring the character of Johannes Gutenberg is expected to begin development this year in cooperation between the students and the library team.
