South Burnett Big Ideas Challenge 2025

Thanks to the generous support of the Burnett Inland Economic Development Organisation (BIEDO), South Burnett Regional Council and Powerlink, Future Anything is bringing the Big Ideas Challenge to South Burnett on Tuesday 3 June 2025!

The Big Ideas Challenge has been purposefully designed in collaboration with educators to engage young people in a fun and fast paced day of listening, learning and doing. 

This event will provide students with the opportunity to hear from some of Australia’s most exciting and inspiring innovators and changemakers, as well as explicitly developing their entrepreneurial thinking and human centred design skills. 

Students will tackle the following challenge: "How do we make our region the best place to live, work and learn for young people?"

Who should attend? This event is open to school groups of students in Years 7-10 (NB students may not attend individually). 

Tickets & Registration: Thanks to BIEDO, up to 30 tickets are available free of charge to schools in the region. Tickets are available on a first come, first served basis. To maximise accessibility for all schools, please only register for the number tickets you will actually use.  Additional tickets may become available closer to the event date.

Draft Agenda (exact content/session timings subject to change)

• 8.30am – 8.45am Schools/students arrive & register
• 9:00 (PROMPT) - 9:30am: Welcome (Intro, Overview of the Day, Future of Work).
• 9:30 - 10.00am: Guest Speaker Q&A 
• 10:00 – 10:30am: Picking a problem and group forming
• 10:30-10.50am: Morning Tea break
• 10.50 -12:50pm: The Odyssey (exploring problems & creating solutions)
• 12:50 – 1:20pm Lunch break
• 1:20 – 2.00pm: The Odyssey continued (prototyping and pitching)
• 2:00 - 2.15pm: The ‘Shark Tank’
• 2:15 - 2:30pm: Winner’s Announcement + Closing, Final Reflections

Venue & Transport: Participating schools must organise and manage the transport requirements for students and supervising staff/parents attending the event.

Permissions and Supervision: Participating schools are required to manage all parental permission requirements. All students must have a caregiver complete Future Anything’s Media Permission Form (this is mandatory)

Schools must also ensure a suitable level of staff supervision for their students attending the event. While participating teachers/parents will not be required to formally facilitate the sessions, their engagement in the activities will increase teachers’ skills and confidence in unlocking students’ entrepreneurial mindset in the classroom. 

What Students Need to Bring:

• Their own refillable water bottle
• Lunch, and morning/afternoon tea if required as no catering is provided.
• Completed Media Permission Form (mandatory)
• Students are required to wear their school uniform
• A dash of enthusiasm, an open mind and a willingness to engage with others.

THIS EVENT IS GENEROUSLY SUPPORTED BY: