This year, employees from across the Spectris Group have volunteered their time to shortlist for the Apps for Good virtual showcase, and attend the Apps for Good Climate Change and Digital Innovation Summit and Motivez CIC Sustainable London Competition.
Apps for Good give young people the skills to shape their future through computer courses. In this project, the students are asked to find innovative solutions to real life problems by designing and creating an app to solve a problem they have identified. The volunteer short-listers are asked to review the entries and provide real-world feedback to these budding young innovators. The entries were inspiring and vast in topics; from helping veterans feel supported in society to healthy eating apps to reduce pressure on the NHS. Our volunteers examined over 100 nominations this year – a huge achievement.
Apps for Good also host an annual in-person Climate Change and Digital Innovation (CCADIS) summit in Luton. This year Helena, Group Head of Sustainability, and Ariel, Sustainability Analyst, volunteered their time to attend the summit and judge the entries.
Helena explained “All the entries were amazing, but we could sadly only choose one winner. The students came up with some with real world solutions to genuine problems… This included one group who built an app for a second-hand school uniform marketplace without realising they had found a solution for integrating circular economy into our daily lives; a win-win for both the planet and their parents’ pockets.”
Students all have stalls at the event and the judges make their way around to each team and listen to their pitch. The event was hosted by two students who were highly impressive. Whilst there were multiple fantastic entries, the second-hand school uniform marketplace was the winning team in Luton that day.
Helena also attended Motivez CIC Sustainable London Competition Semi-final as a judge on a panel alongside industry experts and local counsellors. Groups of students were asked to build a sustainable solution to a biomedical sustainability problem and then pitched these to the esteemed panel of experts.
The winning team proposed making medical casts out of mushrooms, which could then biodegrade or be used and remoulded into a toy for children on the wards. Each team was accompanied by an industry expert who have been mentoring them throughout the competition. Helena explained “You could see the mentors were giving the students so much confidence; this competition allowed every student to pay to their strengths and have a voice. Everyone looked confident and happy”.
Motivez CIC are a London based organisation who are committed to creating an equitable environment where all young individuals can advance their careers. In June, the Spectris Executive Team will be hosting 50 young people at the Spectris Head Office to focus and prepare the groups for the finale of Sustainable London.
When asking Helena why anyone should volunteer, she said:
“I think it’s really easy to stay in your bubble, but volunteering for both events threw me into a very different dynamic. It’s given me a much greater sense of perspective and has also given me an incredible amount of hope for what our young people might be able to achieve if they are given the platform to try it out”.
A huge thank you to all the volunteers, you truly enable us to multiply the impact of our grants!
Apps for Good also host an annual in-person Climate Change and Digital Innovation (CCADIS) summit in Luton. This year Helena, Group Head of Sustainability, and Ariel, Sustainability Analyst, volunteered their time to attend the summit and judge the entries.
Helena explained “All the entries were amazing, but we could sadly only choose one winner. The students came up with some with real world solutions to genuine problems… This included one group who built an app for a second-hand school uniform marketplace without realising they had found a solution for integrating circular economy into our daily lives; a win-win for both the planet and their parents’ pockets.”
Students all have stalls at the event and the judges make their way around to each team and listen to their pitch. The event was hosted by two students who were highly impressive. Whilst there were multiple fantastic entries, the second-hand school uniform marketplace was the winning team in Luton that day.
Helena also attended Motivez CIC Sustainable London Competition Semi-final as a judge on a panel alongside industry experts and local counsellors. Groups of students were asked to build a sustainable solution to a biomedical sustainability problem and then pitched these to the esteemed panel of experts.
The winning team proposed making medical casts out of mushrooms, which could then biodegrade or be used and remoulded into a toy for children on the wards. Each team was accompanied by an industry expert who have been mentoring them throughout the competition. Helena explained “You could see the mentors were giving the students so much confidence; this competition allowed every student to pay to their strengths and have a voice. Everyone looked confident and happy”.
Motivez CIC are a London based organisation who are committed to creating an equitable environment where all young individuals can advance their careers. In June, the Spectris Executive Team will be hosting 50 young people at the Spectris Head Office to focus and prepare the groups for the finale of Sustainable London.
When asking Helena why anyone should volunteer, she said:
“I think it’s really easy to stay in your bubble, but volunteering for both events threw me into a very different dynamic. It’s given me a much greater sense of perspective and has also given me an incredible amount of hope for what our young people might be able to achieve if they are given the platform to try it out”.
A huge thank you to all the volunteers, you truly enable us to multiply the impact of our grants!