THRIVE Young Innovators Challenge Gathers the Next Generation of Leaders
Over 125 local Monterey County students gather to develop skills to meet the requirements of a competitive, innovative, and entrepreneurial economy
Salinas, CA -- Salinas will host a day-long Young Innovators Challenge Friday, March 31, organized by the THRIVE Innovation Foundation in partnership with the City of Salinas.
According to a THRIVE press release today:
Students interested in technology will convene in Downtown Salinas to take part in the first annual THRIVE Young Innovators Challenge on Friday, March 31 at the CSUMB @ Salinas City Center (formerly the Steinbeck Center) building. The event is hosted by the THRIVE Innovation Foundation, a non-profit organization "dedicated to empowering local youth to become the next generation of entrepreneurs and creating the environment necessary for Agtech to thrive." This foundation and challenge is one of the latest initiatives as part of the strategy to build a sustainable Global AgTech ecosystem for the region in partnership with the City of Salinas and leading industry partners.
"The THRIVE Young Innovators Challenge is key to building the innovation pillar of our strategy to inspire young kids into STEM and entrepreneurship at an early age," said John Hartnett, Founder & CEO of SVG Partners. "In our short four-year history, we have built a Global AgTech ecosystem that has positioned Salinas as an AgTech hub recognized across the world."
"Taylor Farms believes it is of the utmost importance to inspire innovation in local youth and give them outlets to explore technology and science," says Margaret D'Arrigo, VP, Community Development, Taylor Farms and THRIVE Innovation Foundation Board Member. "This is why we sponsor events like Thrive Young Innovators Challenge where the next generation of leaders are encouraged to develop key skills for the future."
Over 125 students will participate, with teams coming from 10 different middle and high schools throughout Monterey County. Student teams will be challenged to create a technology-driven solution addressing the theme of "Feeding Nine Billion People by the Year 2030." Each team will have a mentor to assist them in brainstorming, project development, and presentation. Projects will be evaluated at the end of the day by a panel of judges, with cash prizes and a day trip to visit Google Headquarters and Intel awarded to the top performers.
The City of Salinas is a headline sponsor of the event. According to City officials, events like this help support the development of an agtech ecosystem in the Salinas Valley.
"This is an exciting event for Salinas," said Salinas Mayor Joe Gunter, who is also serving as a panel judge. "Our youth represent the future of our community, and we need to make sure we're providing them opportunities to learn the skills they'll need to get good jobs in our community. This is an exciting program because not only will they learn technical skills but they'll have fun doing it."
"The City of Salinas recognizes the importance of providing our youth with the technical skills they need to succeed," said Andrew Myrick, Salinas Economic Development Manager. "Along with other innovative programs being undertaken by Hartnell College, Digital NEST, and many others here in Salinas, we're starting to see some real progress in making sure our businesses will be able to meet their workforce needs as the agricultural industry adopts more and more technology into its operations."
Other sponsors for the event include SVG Partners, Hartnell College, The California Endowment, and Alvarez Technology Group.
Details
What: THRIVE Young Innovators Challenge
Date: Friday, March 31
Time: 8 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Location: CSUMB @ Salinas City Center, 1 Main St, Salinas, CA 93901
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