It was a typical Saturday morning at Glorietta in Makati, even as it was too early at 9 a.m. for people to be there.
However, I was greeted by groups of young adults, clad in white shirts with colorful logos proudly stating that they were “Young and Living Awesome.” The Twitter-ized version of this mantra, #YALA, was part of Ayala Malls’ first nationwide “Idea’Yala Innovation Challenge,” a competition that aims to engage the youth to think, design, and create awesome ideas.
The grand prize consists of: the winning team’s proposal to be implemented by Ayala Malls; a trip to El Nido Resorts in Palawan; a summer internship at Ayala Malls; and prepaid Ayala Malls debit cards loaded with 10,000 pesos each.
Basics of business
Presenting videos of their ideas, 30 teams of youth aged 18-24 bested 200 other groups from all over the country. They made it through the elimination rounds which were held at Idea’Yala booths at Ayala Malls and different universities.
The 30 finalist teams were invited to participate at the first Idea’Yala Summit and breakout session last Oct. 4.
“We joined Idea’Yala because we wanted to enter the food industry. We wanted to bring something new and innovative,” said Christian Angping, an 18-year-old La Salle student and member of Team De Vera.
The team made it past the grueling elimination. “We already had the idea, but the problem was how to handle the business part. That’s why Idea’Yala is a good opportunity to learn about the basics of business,” he added.
Held at the Glorietta Activity Center, the Idea’Yala Summit featured famous entrepreneurs and celebrities talking about their ventures.
They served as mentors and “ideators” to the participants.
Improving the malls
“In Idea’Yala, we give participants the freedom to create without boundaries. We let them start out with a blank canvas and allow them to work on something they’re passionate about,” said Idea’Yala co-founder Paloma Zobel. “Our challenge for them is to come up with an idea that can improve their mall experience.”
Asked how a team could effectively stand out from the rest, Zobel said that execution and angle play crucial factors.
Describing herself as a risk-taker and an avid lover of the arts, Zobel goaded the participants to have fun in bringing their ideas to fruition.
Life-changing
For Katrina “Katsu” Razon, DJ and cofounder of the Manila Music Festival and one of the mentors in Idea’Yala, attending the art event Burning Man has been a life-changing experience.
Burning Man, held annually at the Black Rock Desert in Nevada, asks participants to dedicate themselves to the spirit of community, art, self-expression and self-reliance.
Razon said many people flock to Burning Man because of its “culture of inclusion,” which invites people from different backgrounds and age groups.
“This kind of diversity is the key to innovation, because we see these groups of people communicating and collaborating to create works of art in harsh environments,” Razon explained.
Different
“When rivals copy me, I don’t harbor any ill feelings. Instead, I move on and do something different,” said Dan Matutina, graphic illustrator for magazines and companies.
He is known for his constantly evolving designs.
Asked for advice, he said that the youth should not go with the flow; rather, they should go against it.
Viable
Former New York City high school teacher Juliette LaMontagne shared insights from her social innovation program called Breaker.
Its goal is to develop entrepreneurs from innovative high school students and college graduates.
“Every idea our participants pitch has to be desirable, feasible and viable in order for it to work,” she said.
She added that the participants must go out on the streets and test if their ideas fulfill all these requirements. She reminded them to be passionate about their work, and not be afraid of failure.
Shortly after the summit, all teams attended the first of four breakout sessions which determined who will advance to the second round.
The 2nd Idea’Yala summit and breakout session was held Oct. 11 at the TriNoma Activity Center.