Project Invent

Last year, five students from Camden, New Jersey’s LEAP Academy traveled to the World Trade Center in NYC and came home with an award and $500 in funding. The LEAP team designed an assistive belt for people living with Parkinson's disease. They were one of four award winners out of 15+ competing teams at Project Invent’s Demo Day NYC. Learn more about our student inventors as we gear up for this year’s Demo Days. Visit projectinvent.org/demo-day

✨ Idea Review Recap ✨ Idea Review events are mid program milestones where teams are able to meet with professionals to who learn more about their invention projects! In breakout rooms, student innovators share stories about their Community Partner, the challenge area or problem they're trying to solve, and top invention ideas.  Volunteers then provide feedback which helps move teams forward towards next steps and revisions before moving on to prototyping. It's such a great way for teams to reflect and advance their invention journey as well as see firsthand the power of collaboration! And it keeps going! In addition to providing feedback to these teams during events, volunteers are currently supporting 75 teams through our asynchronous Idea Review. #projectinvent #STEMeducation #SDGs

Project Invent began in 2018 when our founder Connie was a teacher at Nueva High School in San Mateo, CA. Connie’s students met Jimmy, a man who had recently lost his sight due to an accident. As he worked to regain his independence, Jimmy shared one of the challenges he faced: veering while walking, which had caused him to be struck by cars while crossing the street. The Nueva High School students got to work and created the Stria Belt, a wearable device that uses vibration to alert the user when they're drifting off course. Recently, Jimmy spoke about his journey as Project Invent's founding Community Partner at the Transition to Independence Fair. “These students changed my life. Working with them, seeing their passion for helping the blind and all their hard work pay off has given me new hope. I always knew I became blind for a reason and I think that was to work with these students.” Since our founding, Project Invent has created hundreds of stories like these across the nation - We've partnered with hundreds of Community Partners, teachers, and volunteer mentors to empower 5,500+ youth to develop 300+ inventions that support real community challenges. Special thanks to our partners at the Transition to Independence Fair: Housing Choices Center for Independence of Individuals with Disabilities (San Mateo) AbilityPath

Happy Pi Day from Project Invent! 🥧 Today we’re celebrating hundreds of Community Partners, teachers, and volunteer mentors who have empowered 5,500+ youth to develop 300+ inventions that support real community challenges.

Project Invent empowers youth with future ready mindsets to succeed individually and impact globally, through invention. Demo Days are our annual pitch events connecting innovative youth-led teams with top investors and executives across the country. Whether virtual or in-person, teams compete for funding by presenting inventions focused on wellness, safety, accessibility, pollution, and beyond. Learn more: projectinvent.org/demo-day

I spy with my little eye..... 👀 Jerome Link and Alexis Lopez representing Project Invent at the micro:bit Live Global conference! #microbit #STEM #education

💡 Big ideas start with bold feedback! Project Invent is looking for passionate professionals to join us for Idea Review — a live, virtual event where student teams pitch real solutions to real community challenges. As a volunteer, you’ll: ✨ Meet 3-6 youth teams in breakout rooms ✨ Hear their invention ideas ✨ Offer thoughtful feedback to help shape their next steps 🔗Ready to inspire and be inspired? Sign up at https://lnkd.in/gQcvwS5p #ProjectInvent #VolunteerOpportunity #STEM #Innovation

✨ Today is International Day of Women and Girls in Science! ✨ This global day celebrates expanding access and opportunity in STEM and recognizes the importance of representation, mentorship, and breaking stereotypes in fields like engineering and technology. At Project Invent, we see so many young inventors stepping into STEM with curiosity, creativity, and purpose. Supporting girls and young women as they explore design thinking, prototyping, and real-world problem solving helps build a future where more voices are shaping innovation. Shoutout to all of our young inventors who are learning, building, and pushing boundaries every day 💡

A special thank you to our volunteers who joined us for our Kickoff events last week! Each of these speakers reminded our learners that invention is not just about technology, it’s about people. Project Invent alumni Carmellitta Le shared how participating in Project Invent led her to develop skills and the confidence as her team created "The Beta Band"- a football field kit to detect early signs of concussion. She’s continuing to create real impact through her work in the biomedical engineering field! Teams truly appreciated hearing the advice and tips as they begin their own invention journeys. During our Community Partner interview sessions, teams learned how to conduct an empathy interview so they could begin interviewing members of their own communities and identify needs to design solutions that matter. Raymond Otton shared a bit about his role as a volunteer coach at Special Olympics and the steps taken to ensure high quality programming throughout the year. As a Sustainability Coordinator at Netflix, Chuck Daly spoke to some of the environmental and initiatives on sets that he works on to showcase the various sustainability topics that can be covered as well as the challenges associated with each. We’re grateful to each one of you for sharing your story and for encouraging the next generation of fearless and compassionate problem solvers! #projectinvent #volunteer #dogood #STEM #community

Last week our Spring Kickoff events brought together learners, educators, volunteers, and community members from across the country to launch another round of student-driven innovation! Before diving into real-world challenges rooted in their communities, we took this time to meet one another, have some fun designing unique inventions out of everyday objects, and reflect on some of the core mindsets that learners will develop throughout Project Invent. We loved seeing the excitement, intentionality, and creativity come through as this cohort embarks on the beginning of their program! #STEMeducation #projectinvent #dogood #invention