At this year’s final of the J.P. Morgan The Schools Challenge at the Evangelische Akademie, Kompass was involved in selecting the best green business idea for the city of Frankfurt. „The commitment of the pupils, teachers and mentors from J.P. Morgan is simply fantastic,“ explains Ellen Bommersheim enthusiastically. As Managing Director and representative of Kompass, she was part of this year’s jury, which selected the Paul Hindemith School’s „Smart Heart“ project as the winner due to its creativity, innovative strength and determination.
As part of the J.P. Morgan The Schools Challenge, young people work with J.P. Morgan mentors to develop ideas for improving their local communities. The participants are divided into 11 small teams and compete against each other at the end of the school year – similar to a national competition. Project support includes on-site workshops on topics such as problem-solving, brainstorming and presentation creation, as well as three major cross-school events, from the kick-off event to a model-building event and the final.
This year’s challenge involved 60 Year 9 students from 4 schools, 11 teams and 56 mentors. They formed the youngest cohort of the 6th J.P. Morgan The Schools Challenge Frankfurt. The Schools Challenge supports students in six cities around the world, including Frankfurt, London, Paris, São Paulo, Mumbai and Hong Kong, helping them to develop key skills in science, technology, engineering and math and inspiring them to explore pathways to STEM careers. Important topics include skills development in free speech, solution-oriented work, independence, self-efficacy, PowerPoint and digital communication tools, and the use of a broad network for career guidance. To date, she has supported over 300 students in Frankfurt.
