Today we thought we’d offer you some inspirational stories of young people coming up with great ideas. These folks are an example to all of us that young people can often come up with the most inventive of ideas, and that youth is a springboard rather than a barrier to success.
The teenager who find out how typefaces could help keep governments in the black
We live in tough economic times, and governments are feeling the pinch as much as households. Any opportunity for them to save a bit of money is welcomed. And while economists and politicians might come up with unworkable or controversial schemes, this teenager worked out a way to save governments hundreds of millions a year just by changing the font they use in their documents. Realising just how expensive ink is, Suvir Mirchandani, 14, calculated how much the US government would save by using Garamond instead of Times New Roman. The figures he came up with were astonishing, and experts across America were wowed by the workability of his suggestions. Survi got his idea by working out how much money his school could save on its own printing just by changing font, which just goes to show that the ideas we have at school can have applications far beyond the classroom!
The eleven-year-old who used pizza to come up with a great idea to solve the Euro crisis
The second of our young people coming up with great ideas was just eleven years old when he stunned economic experts two years ago with his idea for helping the ailing Greek economy and the then-struggling eurozone. Jurre Hermans’s idea came to the world’s attention when he submitted it to the Wolfson Prize, a contest aimed at established economists. But in spite of his lack of economics credentials, young Jurre came up with an idea for exchanging Euros for Greek drachma that the judging panel were very much taken with. The moral of the story is clear here: if you’re young and have a great idea, don’t be afraid to share it!
The 14-year old scientist who is pioneering new techniques for reversing water contamination
It’s hard to know where to begin with American teen Maria Elena Grimmett. By the age of fourteen her scientific research had been published in prestigious academic journals, she had won numerous science prizes, and had had a planet named after her. Perhaps her greatest achievement, though, has been her ideas for cleaning up contaminated water. Not only is the discovery she made important in its own right, but Maria also had to overcome all sorts of obstacles, including a lack of access to professional research facilities. But with the support of her parents and a lot of persistency and hard work, Maria has been able to conduct scientific research that would be the envy of many senior-level university professors.
The lesson of all three of these young people coming up with great ideas is clear: let your enthusiasm guide you, and don’t be afraid to see your ideas as having a place out in the real world!