GEMS Students win DECA Idea Challenge

A simple and straightforward idea by four GEMS World Academy students could help hundreds of labourers

WE ALL KNOW how torturous the summers in the UAE can be, especially for labourers who work outside. And when four grade 8 students from GEMS World Academy in Dubai were presented The DECA Idea Challenge, they couldn't help but have those labourers on their minds. Matilda Siri, Mada Otte, Joelle Hull and Danielle Long were proclaimed world champions of the high school category in The DECA Idea Challenge for their innovative invention named 'The Shades'. It presents a simple way to use cardboard boxes, redesigned to provide sun shelter for labourers and construction workers.
The DECA Idea Challenge is an experiential exercise that dares elementary through college students worldwide, to generate an innovative and sustainable new use for a commonplace item. The competition received over 2,230 team submissions from 8,456 students around the world and Dubai's own Matilda, Mada, Joelle and Danielle, encouraged by their design teacher Simon Kuznetsov, had to pitch their idea in a 3-minute YouTube video presentation - all in eight days and managed to win the top prize. Each global winning team will be recognised on both the Global Entrepreneurship Week and DECA Inc. websites and will receive a monetary award.